Honda class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: A group of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
- Why: They claim Honda Odyssey minivans have a defective starting system that can cause the vehicles to suddenly become inoperable.
- Where: The Honda class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
Honda Motor was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging its Odyssey minivans have a defective starting system that can cause the vehicles to become inoperable.
Plaintiff Carole Bodney and four others claim Honda Odyssey minivans, from model years 2018 to 2025, have a defective starting system that can cause the vehicles to fail to start during normal operation.
“The defect occurs because the batteries in the [class] vehicles fail to adequately charge during normal operation, resulting in a perpetual low state of charge and lack of sufficient power to crank the engine,” the Honda class action lawsuit says.
The plaintiffs argue the defective starting system can cause the Honda Odyssey minivans to fail to restart when the engine shuts off during an idle stop event and fail to restart after being parked subsequent to use.
“Consequently, the starter motor cannot efficiently transfer torque to the flywheel and crank the engine,” the Honda class action says.
Automaker long aware of Honda Odyssey defect, class action alleges
Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit argue Honda has long been aware of the alleged defect yet has failed to recall the Honda Odyssey minivans or to offer a suitable repair or replacement free of charge.
According to the class action, Honda had “extensive notice and knowledge of the defect” from multiple sources, including numerous consumer complaints, information from dealers, pre-sale durability testing and NHTSA complaints and investigations.
The class action lawsuit also points to Honda’s own internal records, including similar idle stop and parked start failures in prior model years, as evidence the automaker knew about the issue.
Despite this, Honda “has not recalled the [class] vehicles to repair the defect.” It also has not offered consumers a free repair or replacement, nor reimbursed those who paid out of pocket to fix the defect, the lawsuit claims.
The plaintiffs claim Honda is guilty of breach of express and implied warranty, unjust enrichment and violations of state consumer protection laws.
They demand a jury trial and request declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of compensatory, exemplary and statutory penalties, damages and restitution.
In another alleged coverup, a group of consumers is suing Honda for marketing and distributing certain vehicles, including the Honda Odyssey, without disclosing a front camera defect despite numerous reports of safety system failures and no recall being issued.
Have you ever experienced issues with a Honda Odyssey minivan? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Timothy G. Blood, Thomas J. O’Reardon II and Paula R. Brown of Blood Hurst & O’Reardon LLP and Eduard Korsinsky and Mark Reich of Levi & Korsinsky LLP.
The Honda class action lawsuit is Bodney, et al. v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:26-cv-05939, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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One thought on Honda class action claims Odyssey minivans have defective starting system
This has happen to me twice and once to my husband at stop lights . A couple of times the radio sound wasn’t working but the stereo system was on . I would turn it off and on and the volume still wouldn’t work . Only when I would shut off the van and turn on would the volume work.