Honda Class Action Says Batteries, Starter Motors Fail Prematurely

A California woman says Honda has failed to properly address defects in the starter motors and batteries in some of its vehicles.

Plaintiff Carolina Martinez raises two issues with certain model years of Honda Accords and Honda Crosstours. She claims that separate defects in the vehicles’ batteries and starter motors cause both those components to fail prematurely, leaving the driver with a vehicle that won’t start.

According to this Honda class action lawsuit, the problem with the starter motor may be a lack of adequate clearance between the two gears where the starter motor connects to the engine. This lack of clearance can cause the starter motor to wear prematurely, preventing the vehicle from starting.

Martinez also says Honda has been equipping these vehicles with inadequate batteries. The factory-installed batteries have too little capacity and wear out too soon, until they no longer provide enough current to start the vehicle, she claims.

Both defects threaten Honda owners’ safety, Martinez claims. Owners are at risk for being stranded with a vehicle that won’t start. Battery failure can cause a vehicle to slow or stop without warning, putting vehicle occupants at risk for a crash, she alleges.

Martinez quotes several complaints filed by Honda owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting problems related to these allegedly defective starter motors and batteries.

Several owners report their affected Honda vehicles took several attempts to start or failed to start entirely. One reported the vehicle’s engine shut down in the middle of peak hour traffic. Several owners report that their Honda dealerships would not cover repair or replacement under the vehicle’s warranty, even though the problems manifested within a few years of purchase.

Honda has been aware of these problems since at least February 2016, Martinez claims, when the company issued a technical service bulletin to its dealerships. This bulletin says the problem is due to inadequate clearance between the starter motor gear and the torque converter gear, and it directs the dealerships to replace the starter motor and reposition the ring gear.

But although Honda alerted its dealerships to these defects, the company allegedly failed to disclose those problems to its customers. As a result, Martinez claims, purported Class Members had to spend hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars to repair or replace their starter motors and batteries.

If approved by the court, Martinez’s proposed nationwide plaintiff Class would include all persons in the U.S. outside of New Jersey who purchased or leased a Honda Accord or Honda Crosstour from model years 2013 through 2016. She also proposes three specific subclasses for purposes of bringing claims under California law.

She seeks a court order barring Honda from continuing to market the allegedly defective vehicles and requiring Honda to conduct a recall program that would replace the allegedly defective starter motors and batteries. She is also asking for compensatory, exemplary and statutory damages, restitution and disgorgement, and an award of court costs and attorneys’ fees.

Martinez is represented by attorneys Jordan L. Lurie, Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett and Karen R. Wallace of Capstone Law APC.

The Honda Defective Starter Motor and Battery Class Action Lawsuit is Carolina Martinez v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-04714, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE: The Honda Defective Starter Motor and Battery Class Action Lawsuit was dismissed on March 15, 2018.