Honda Class Action Alleges Defective Safety Technology

The American Honda Motor Company has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a vehicle owner who claims that the company’s “Honda Sensing” technology suffers from safety flaws.

Plaintiff Phylistene Ward says the sensing system detects “false positives” or “false alarms,” which result in safety protocols being engaged without warning the driver.

The plaintiff states that she leased a new 2019 Honda CR-V from a Honda dealership in Illinois in June 2019. She says she experienced the defect in the sensing system shortly after she leased the vehicle.

Ward alleges that the CR-V flashed all of its warning lights and alarms during multiple instances, which made her bring the car back to the dealership for assistance and repair.

The plaintiff states that the dealership did not have a solution to the problem besides clearing the error codes. In addition, the dealership performed a test drive but was not able to duplicate the defect.

Ward says she brought the vehicle back to the dealership on five occasions, but they have not been able to fix the car’s sensing defect.

“To this day, and despite five attempts to repair the Defect, Plaintiff’s 2019 Honda CR-V continues to suffer from the Defect, placing her at heightened risk of an accident while also frustrating her ability to operate the vehicle in the manner in which Plaintiff and Honda intended,” the Honda class action complaint notes.

The Honda sensing depends on radar sensors, cameras and computers that are used to avoid collisions by sensing the area surrounding the vehicle. The device will automatically apply the brakes if it senses the need to do so, according to Ward.

In addition, the Honda Sensing technology includes “Collision Mitigation Braking System,” a “Road Departure Mitigation System,” “Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow,” “Lane Keeping Assist System” and a “Cross Traffic Monitor,” according to the plaintiff.

Some of the defects that Ward experienced from the sensing technology include abrupt braking on the highway without warning, displaying numerous warning messages from a false indication of a hazard and alerting drivers to immediately apply the brakes without reason to do so.

Had she been aware of the car’s defect before she bought it, Ward claims she would have either decided not to purchase the vehicle or she would have paid less for it. 

The Honda class action lawsuit claims that Honda has sold over 300,000 CR-V vehicles in the past four years.

There are two proposed Classes in this class action lawsuit:

Main Class: All current or former purchasers and lessees of a Honda CR-V equipped with the Honda Sensing system who purchased or leased their vehicles in the United States (other than for purposes of resale or distribution.)

Illinois subclass: All current or former purchasers and lessees of a Honda CR-V equipped with the Honda Sensing system who purchased or leased their vehicles in Illinois (other than for purposes of resale or distribution.)

Do you own a Honda CR-V and had issues with the sensing technology? If so, leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiffs are represented by Michael S. Morrison of Alexander Krakow + Glick LLP and Aaron D. Radbil of Greenwald Davidson Radbil PLLC.

The Honda CR-V Sensing Defect Lawsuit is Phylistene Ward v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc, et. al. Case No. 2:20-cv-00511, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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