Honda Class Action Says Civic, CR-V Vehicles Have Defective Engine

A class action lawsuit says Honda Civics and CR-V vehicles have defective engines, and that Honda continued to sell the vehicles while knowing they were defective.

Plaintiff Christopher Hamilton claims that around June 2017 he purchased a new 2017 Honda Civic that was fitted with a 1.5 liter engine in Georgia.

He says that his vehicle’s engine had a defect common to all vehicles like it, and that the defect caused gasoline to enter into the engine fluid, thereby damaging the engine and causing the vehicle to not perform as advertised, and fail prematurely.

The Honda Civic class action lawsuit alleges that Honda knew or should have known of the defect before selling the cars, but did not disclose the defect to consumers.

Hamilton says that had he known that the vehicle’s engine was defective, he would not have purchased the vehicle at all, or would not have paid as much for it.

The Honda CR-V class action lawsuit claims that Hamilton “greatly values vehicle safety, cost, durability, performance, and quality,” and relied on Honda’ advertising to make his purchase.

Hamilton seeks damages on behalf of himself and all similarly affected consumers. He says that Honda falsely advertised its vehicles, and misled consumers into believing they were purchasing a vehicle that was reliable and of high quality.

The Honda defective engine class action lawsuit claims the company violated Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act.

The plaintiff hopes to hold Honda liable for his financial injury and the injury of customers like him, who purchased or leased a Honda Civic or CR-V vehicle in Georgia and in the U.S.

Pointing to the fact that Honda recalled these vehicles in China in March 2018, Hamilton argues that the company knew of the defect and intentionally decided to not tell American consumers about it.

The Honda Civic engine class action lawsuit argues that Hamilton cared for his vehicle as instructed and advised, and that the defect he experienced was due to a manufacturing defect, and not due to his error.

Allegedly, he “serviced his vehicle in a timely and proper manner, including performing timely oil changes on the vehicle.”

However, despite taking good care of the vehicle, Hamilton says that on June 12, 2018, when his Civic had 10,127 miles on it, he checked the engine oil, and noticed that it smelled like gasoline.

The Honda CR-V engine class action lawsuit claims that at this point, he brought his vehicle into a Honda dealership, and the technician said that the engine oil was “filled over the crank case,” and did not admit to the presence of the alleged defect.

In contrast, the Honda Civic engine oil class action lawsuit says that the engines are defective in such a way that causes the engine oil to become diluted with gasoline because the gasoline can get into the crank case.

This can decrease the functionality of the engine, and can cause the engine to not be lubricated properly, leading to engine failure. It can also cause gasoline fumes to leak into the passenger compartment, according to the Honda class action lawsuit.

Hamilton is represented by Matthew S. Harman and Eric Fredrickson of Harman Law Firm LLC, and by Nicholas A. Migliaccio, Jason S. Rathod, and Esfand Y. Nafisi of Migliaccio and Rathod LLP.

The Honda Engine Oil Dilution Class Action Lawsuit is Christopher Hamilton v. American Honda Motor Company Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-04367-TWT, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.