Brigette Honaker  |  November 5, 2020

Category: Auto News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Honda steering wheel - Honda Sensing

Honda recently encouraged a California federal judge to dismiss driver claims that Honda Sensing technology is faulty.

Honda takes issue with several of the plaintiffs’ claims and says the Honda Sensing class action lawsuit should be dismissed by the federal court.

According to the auto manufacturer, the plaintiffs failed to properly allege their claims under federal and state laws.

To begin with, Honda says the plaintiffs failed to properly explain how the Honda Sensing system works and how it is allegedly defective. The Honda Sensing system comprises several driver-assist technologies that help detect car crashes.

“Plaintiffs allege the Honda Sensing system is defective because it is not perfect, or at least plaintiffs disagree with the system’s conclusions about when and whether activation of a particular response is warranted under unspecified circumstances,” Honda contends.

Even worse, the plaintiff’s claims allegedly fail to show how the plaintiffs were affected by the purported defect in the Honda Sensing system. The company says no plaintiff alleged that they actually experienced physical harm or property damage as a result of issues with the crash sensor system.

Honda dealership sign - Honda Sensing

According the car company, the plaintiffs in the Honda Sensing class action lawsuit have also failed to sufficiently argue how Honda should respond to their claims. Specifically, the company takes issue with the plaintiffs’ failure to explain how the alleged defects should have been resolved under the law or what Honda could have done differently.

“In the context of alleged automobile safety defects, it is not enough for a plaintiff to simply allege that a problem may exist and that a defendant should have disclosed something about it somehow, or just made the automobile better,” Honda said in its motion to dismiss.

Further arguments against product liability and breach of warranty are also included in Honda’s recent dismissal motion.

Plantiffs in the Honda Sensing class action lawsuit initially filed their claims in May 2018. However, five similar cases were combined in June after a federal judge ruled Honda could start arbitrating the issue out of court with two consumers.

The remaining plaintiffs bring 20 claims against Honda Motor Co., all centered on the company’s Honda Sensing technology, which comes standard on several Honda vehicles, such as the EX, EX-L and Touring CR-V models. According to the plaintiffs, the crash sensor system relies on radar technology to detect other objects on the road — helping alert consumers about imminent crashes and other hazards.

Unfortunately, Honda Sensing is allegedly defective and can cause more harm than good.

The plaintiffs contend the crash sensor system can display false collision warnings and even reduce cruise control settings for seemingly no reason. As a result, consumers are allegedly put at risk for collisions on the road because of their vehicle’s unexpected behavior.

“But it is not only lack of repair that keeps owners of such class vehicles frustrated, but that when Honda Sensing system malfunctions, it does so abruptly, without warning, while the class vehicles are in motion on a public roadway,” the Honda Sensing class action lawsuit alleges.

“The very system that was designed to keep drivers safe is in fact making them less safe by detracting their attention.”

To make matters worse, Honda is allegedly aware of the issue and has been since at least 2017. In 2017, the company reportedly sent a notice to dealers that informed them of a software issue leading to the crash sensor system problems. Despite this acknowledgement, Honda has allegedly failed to warn purchasers or fix the issue.

The plaintiffs say they overpaid for their vehicles because they were duped into purchasing vehicles that have a known defect. As such, they seek punitive damages on behalf of themselves and proposed Class of vehicle drivers. The proposed Class includes owners and lessees of 2017 Honda CR-V models that are equipped with Honda Sensing.

In order for their claims to move forward, plaintiffs must survive the recent motion to dismiss from Honda. The federal court will hear arguments from both sides and make a decision about which claims, if any, can move forward.

Do you own a Honda vehicle with crash sensing technology? Have you experienced issues with this technology? Share your experiences in the comment section below.

Plaintiffs and the proposed Class are represented by Trinette G. Kent, Joshua A. Markovits and Sergei Lemberg of Lemberg Law LLC.

The Honda Sensing Class Action Lawsuit is Cadena, et al. v. American Honda Motor Co., et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-04007, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.

31 thoughts onHonda Asks Court to Dismiss Crash Sensor System Class Action Lawsuit

  1. Paul Cepparo says:

    I have a 2019 Honda Civic sport that also has defect in the Honda sensing system. It will hit the brakes randomly when no one else is on the road. It alerts me all the time when their is no danger in site. The worst part is when it breaks it’s not in time in certain situations, it brakes hard and it scares me. There have been a few times my car has braked for no reason what so ever. I have been lucky I have not been in any accident because of this defect. I hope I can get this issue solved as soon as possible.

  2. Honda need to be sued especially for tcpa harassing consumers. says:

    I had a major accident in my car at the time my Crosstour 2014 did not let me know a car was approaching.

  3. Alexander gregg says:

    I have a 2019 Honda Civic sport that also has defect in the Honda sensing system. It will hit the brakes randomly when literally no one else is on the road. It alerts me all the time when their is no danger. The Worst part is when it breaks it’s not subtle, it brakes hard and is scary. There have been a few times my car has braked for no reason cause if me to swerve and almost crash. I’m honestly lucky I haven’t been injured.

  4. Susan Houppert says:

    Please add me. I have a 2018 Honda EX-L CRV. I also have a 2011 Honda Civic is that is included in this case.

  5. Charlie C says:

    I have a 2019 Honda Pilot that gives false Braking Alerts daily. It’s almost always as a car is approaching but clearly in the other lane and no risk of collision. I have had the windshield replaced due to a crack and the dealer recalibrated the camera and this is still happening daily. There is definitely a problem with the software or the camera and this is dangerously distracting.

  6. Art Hoffman says:

    I bought a 2017 Honda CRV EX-L new. On several occasions while driving on an Interstate at 70MPH, the CRASH system triggered and rapidly applied the brakes, slowing me down. I spoke to the Dealer about this on several occassions and was asked what the weather was like when this happened. i told them it has happened during rain, but also when it is nice. They told me that the radar sensor interprets the heavy rain as an object and activates the system. Why it doe sit in nice weather? No explanation. All i can say is that these incidents are definitely stressful as they occur suddenly and randomly – which poses a distnct chance that, one day, they will cause an accident!

  7. LETICIA PRECIADO says:

    I HAVE A 2013 HONDA ACCORD EX-L WITH THE SAME CRASH ALERTING SYSTEM AND IT RANDOMLY GOES OFF AS IM DRIVING AND WHEN IT DOES ITS “VERY” DISTRACTING
    ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, IT LIGHTS UP MY WHOLE FRONT WINDSHIELD, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO GET RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!!!!!!!!!

  8. Chris Urbanski says:

    I have a 2019 CRV which on three separate times going highway speeds suddenly slowed down considerable for no reason. If someone was behind me, I would have been rear-ended at 60+ and 70+ MPH speeds.

    Honda service told me that this was because a bug was on the sensor. I disagree. I made a formal complaint to the National Highway Safety Administration.

  9. lanell s INACIO says:

    I have 2017 honda crv with crash sensing system and have experienced several incidents where the car stops in the middle of the road and locks up
    there is a problem but the dealer doe not pay attention about complaint.

  10. Marisa Dalfonso says:

    I drive a 2020 Honda Accord lx

1 2 3

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.