Honda CR-V Class Action Settlement Reached over Defective Door Locks

American Honda Motor Co. Inc. has reached a class action settlement including $1.4 million for attorneys’ fees with customers alleging that the automaker hid that its CR-V had a defective door lock mechanism so it wouldn’t have to cover the repair costs.

The Honda CR-V settlement agreement was reached on Sept. 19. and  the motion for approval was filed in a New Jersey federal court on Wednesday.

The Honda CR-V class action settlement agreement includes an extension of Honda’s three-year warranty to six years from when the Honda CR-V was purchased or six months from when the settlement agreement receives final approval “with respect to the allegedly defective door lock actuators.”

This extension will allow Class Members to have “their door lock actuators repaired at an Authorized Honda Dealer at no charge.”

For Class Members who have already paid to have their door lock actuators repaired, they will be reimbursed by Honda, “and for any such repairs completed within seven days after notice is sent to the Settlement Class.”

In addition, “Honda has agreed to replace the front driver’s-side door lock actuator on Settlement Class Vehicles at no charge — even if the actuator has never malfunctioned.”

Honda has also agreed to pay up to $1.4 million in attorneys’ fees as well as $1,500 to the three Class representatives.

The Honda CR-V class action lawsuit was filed in January 2013 by plaintiffs Kevin Davitt, Scott Carter and Mark Tudyk, who are from New Jersey, California, and Florida. It was filed after an extensive investigation was conducted into the allegedly faulty door lock systems.

The plaintiffs alleged that the actuator, which is part of the door lock system, is defective and that Honda knew about the defect in CR-V models in years 2007 through 2011, but kept this information from Honda CR-V owners and lesses so the automaker would not have to cover the repair under the three-year warranty.

Davitt, Carter and Tudyk allege that the door lock does not lock or unlock properly when the door is locked with either the switch inside the vehicle or with the button on the key fob.

“The Settlement Agreement contains a robust notice plan, which will be paid for and administered by Honda,” the Honda Class action settlement agreement states.

“Specifically, Honda will provide monthly reports to Class Counsel about the number of claimants, number of claims accepted, number of claims rejected, and amounts of claims submitted,” it adds.

The notification process will include direct mail, a dedicated website with all necessary forms and documents, and a toll-free number Class Members can call “with live operators to field questions.”

More information about how to file a claim for the Honda CR-V class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive automatic notifications when this article is updated.

The plaintiffs are represented by Joseph G. Sauder, Matthew D. Schelkopf and Benjamin F. Johns of Chimicles & Tikellis LLP and Jonathan W. Cuneo and William H. Anderson of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP.

The Honda CR-V Class Action Lawsuit is Kevin Davitt, et al. v. America Inc., et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-00381, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

UPDATE: Claim Forms for the Honda CR-V defective door lock class action settlement are now available! Click here for detailed instructions on how to file a claim.