Honda Acura Class Action Says Infotainment Systems Malfunction

Honda has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that the “infotainment systems” malfunction in the 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX vehicles.

According to the Acura class action lawsuit, plaintiff Jimmy Banh was thinking about purchasing an Acura, and took it for a long test drive. 

The salesperson at the dealership reportedly told Banh that Android Auto would be coming to the vehicles within “a few weeks or months.”

Having Android Auto was important to the plaintiff because he has an Android phone and was looking for a vehicle that was compatible with the Android, according to the Honda Acura class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff claims that after purchasing the Acura, he found out that there was a defect in the infotainment system and that the Android Auto would not be available “for at least 10 months.”

The Acura class action complaint states that “[h]ad Defendant disclosed that the infotainment system in the Vehicle was defective preventing the full use of the Vehicle and pose safety risks, Plaintiff Banh would not have purchased it, or would have paid less for the Vehicle.”

The Acura class action lawsuit states that the infotainment system would take up to a minute before it would start playing audio and when the plaintiff asked the dealer about the issue, he was told that this was “normal.”

“It has been 10 months since Plaintiff Banh purchased the Vehicle and still no software update has been released containing Android Auto. Plaintiff Banh has been forced to use an adaptor, USB stick, and MP3 player to listen to music,” the Acura class action lawsuit claims.

In addition, the plaintiff says that he “has suffered an ascertainable loss as a result of Defendant’s wrongful conduct associated with the infotainment system including, but not limited to, overpayment and diminished value of the Vehicle.“

Banh claims that a defective infotainment system creates a safety issue for the person driving the vehicle, as it can be distracting to the driver who is trying to work the system. 

The Acura class action lawsuit also states that even if the infotainment system is working properly, it can cause a distraction.

The Acura class action lawsuit claims that Honda should have known about the defects in the infotainment system from numerous sources, including “the pre-release design, manufacturing, and testing data; warranty claims data; consumer complaints made directly to Defendant, collected by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (‘NHTSA’), and/or posted on public online forums.”

The plaintiffs say that Honda did not disclose the defects in the infotainment system and that they purposely hid this information from their customers and they continue to do so to this day.

The Acura class action claims that Honda violates numerous laws, including the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the California Legal Remedies Act, and the California Unfair Competition Law.

The plaintiffs are represented by Christopher R. Pitoun, Steve W. Berman, and Sean R. Matt of Hagens Berman Sobol and Shapiro LLP, Jeffrey S. Goldenberg and Todd Naylor of Goldenberg Schneider PA, and John C. Weisensell of Niekamp Weisensell Mutersbaugh and Mastrantonio LLP.

The Honda Acura Infotainment Class Action is Banh, et al. v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Case No. 2:19-cv-05984-RSWL-AS, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE: On July 28, 2020, a Class of California Honda Acura RDX drivers recently won class certification in federal court, although other states did not fare as well.

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