Honda class action overview:
- Who: A Honda Accord driver is suing American Honda Motor Co.
- Why: The plaintiff says the automaker sells vehicles that contain an engine defect.
- Where: The Honda class action was filed in a California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit accuses Honda of selling vehicles prone to engine overheating, misfires, and premature wear due to a coolant leakage defect.
Plaintiff Chris Bissell filed the class action complaint against American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Honda Motor Co. Limited on Dec. 6 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
According to the lawsuit, Honda sells certain popular vehicles with serious design defects in some turbocharged engines, including the Honda Accord, Civic and CR-V.
The complaint centers on Honda’s 1.5-liter i-VTEC turbocharged gasoline direct injection engine, which reportedly suffers from “inadequate sealing and cooling.”
According to Bissell, coolant leaks into engine components, causing overheating, loss of power, and contamination of engine oil.
In some instances, drivers experienced sudden engine failure, he alleges. One driver reported that their “car effectively lost power and [was] stuck coasting on a road where traffic regularly travels between 45-50+ mph,” the lawsuit alleges
Honda defect poses safety and financial implications, lawsuit claims
Bissell claims the defect poses serious safety risks to vehicle occupants and other drivers on the road.
He also alleges that Honda has failed to adequately address the issue despite being aware of it. While the defect is covered under warranty, Bissell argues that Honda refuses to honor warranty claims or release an effective remedy.
Bissell’s own vehicle, a 2018 Honda Accord, suffered head gasket failure at 87,000 miles, leading to costly repairs, he claims. After initial repairs by an independent mechanic, a Honda dealership confirmed the defect was a recurring issue.
“The Defect has created a dangerous condition that gives rise to a clear, substantial, and unreasonable risk of death or personal injury,” the lawsuit says.
As a result, Bissell is looking to represent all U.S. owners or lessees of certain Honda models from 2016 to 2022 equipped with the affected engines.
He is suing for breach of warranty, violations of California consumer protection laws, and unjust enrichment, and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
Meanwhile, Honda is facing a class action lawsuit alleging certain models of its vehicles from model year 2013 onward suffer from a white paint defect that leads to peeling, bubbling and flaking.
What do you think of the allegations in this Honda class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Timothy G. Blood, Thomas J. O’Reardon II, Paula R. Brown and Adam M. Bucci of Blood Hurst & O’Reardon LLP; and W. Daniel “Dee” Miles III, H. Clay Barnett III, J. Mitch Williams, Dylan T. Martin and Trenton H. Mann of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles P.C.
The Honda class action is Chris Bissell v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc et al., Case No. 3:24-cv-02286-AJB-MMP in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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323 thoughts onHonda class action alleges some vehicles have engine defect
2017 Honda CRV, 81000 miles here. Just had to replace valved and head gasket all in less than a week. Same issue was everyone else on here, total loss of power, dash lit up like Xmas. This is just insane. I called Honda Corp and admitted to knowing about the issue, but no resolution.