The contact owns a 2004 Honda CR-V. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the hood separated from the vehicle and shattered the windshield. A local mechanic diagnosed that the hood latch needed to be repaired. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 47,000. Updated 01/03/12 the consumer stated there was a design flaw in the hood pump rod, which made the hood not latch properly. Updated 01/09/12

- Baldwin, MO, USA

Letter from congresswoman giffords on behalf of constituent regarding problems with her Honda 2004 CRV (attachments not imaged) the consumer experienced problems with the air condition unit freezing, the engine blew spark plugs into the cylinder head, the propeller protection shaft was installed incorrectly, the vehicle would accelerate at times and the hood release latch failed while the consumer was driving.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

My daughter was driving down route 95 in philadelphia when the hood on her Honda CR-V opened and smashed the windshield and roof. This occurred on a Monday morning. She had jumped the battery on the previous Saturday night and closed the hood. She drove that night with no problems and drove all day Sunday with no problems.

- Basking Ridge, NJ, USA

Incident #2 1. on January 7, 2005, on us hwy. 441, I stopped the CRV to refuel, opened the (replacement) hood, added oil, closed the hood and resumed my trip. 2. within 2-3 miles at a speed of 60 mph, the car hood suddenly flew up and crashed into the windshield completely obscuring my view. Because it was daylight and traffic was light, I was able to move the car off the highway without incident. A police officer stopped to inquire, but there was no need to file a report. 3. undrivable, the CRV was towed to a body shop, where they discovered that the hood prop rod was inserted into the hood latch, preventing the hood from latching, thus causing the accident. Damage to the vehicle included the hood, roof and windshield, all replaced by the body shop at my expense. Here are the issues: A. the design of the 2004 CRV hood prop rod is defective. It is very easy to mistakenly insert it into the hood latch, which is located less than an inch from the rod. I tried the same maneuver on our 2004 Honda Accord, but the prop rod is located far enough away from the latch not to touch it at all. B. Honda has made its reputation as a manufacturer of safe vehicles. That is why I own two. However, the Honda CRV does not have a warning system to indicate if the hood is unlatched. In this case, though both the hood latch and safety catch were unlatched, I was not made aware of it and was placed in a situation that jeopardized my life. This situation could easily be remedied by redesigning the rod and installing a warning light in the dash similar to those indicating unlatched trunks and doors.

- Lutz, FL, USA