Honda has been ignoring complaints about a defective engine starter, according to the plaintiff in a recent class action lawsuit.
Plaintiff Joel Merkin says the Honda engine starter in certain recent model years of Honda Accords and Crosstours is defective in a way that causes the starter and battery to fail. Once that happens, the vehicle’s engine will not start, potentially leaving drivers and passengers stranded, Merkin claims.
The engine starter is an electric motor that gets the car’s engine spinning when the driver turns the ignition key, until the engine starts and keeps running on its own.
Merkin claims the defendants have known about this Honda engine starter defect for at least four years. Owners have been filing complaints with Honda about the alleged defect, and the company itself has published internal technical bulletins addressing the problem, he claims.
According to this Honda engine starter class action lawsuit, Honda has been refusing owner requests to remedy the engine starter defect under the affected vehicles’ warranties. Merkin says Honda has dismissed warranty claims for this defect by attributing the problems to wear, owner misuse, improper maintenance or lack of maintenance.
When Honda has bothered to fix the defect, Merkin alleges, the company has only replaced the Honda engine starter with a similarly defective starter.
Despite Honda’s alleged knowledge of the defect and the asserted coverage under the manufacturer’s warranty, Merkin says the company has not “recalled the Class Vehicles to repair the Starter Defect, offered its customers a suitable repair or replacement free of charge, or offered to reimburse its customers who have incurred out of pocket expenses to repair the defect.”
Merkin himself is the owner of a pre-owned 2013 Honda Accord. He says that in May 2016, his Accord would fail to start about once a week. The problem got progressively worse, he says, until the vehicle would fail to start five to six times per day.
A local Honda dealer told Merkin the car was no longer under warranty. Merkin had the problem fixed at an out-of- pocket cost of about $200, he claims.
Merkin is proposing to represent a statewide plaintiff Class consisting of all persons in New Jersey who are current or former owners of one of the listed vehicles equipped with the allegedly defective Honda engine starter. He lists these vehicles as the Honda Accord from model years 2013 to 2015 and the Honda Crosstour from model years 2013 to 2015.
He is asking the court to certify his proposed Class and appoint him as Class representative. He seeks a court order requiring Honda to repair, recall or replace the Honda engine starter in affected vehicles. He also seeks an award of damages with pre- and post-judgment interest and reimbursement of court costs and attorneys’ fees.
Merkin’s attorneys are Matthew D. Schelkopf, Joseph G. Sauder and Joseph B. Kenney of McCune Wright Arevalo LLP.
The Honda Engine Starter Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Joel Merkin v. Honda North America Inc., et al., Case No. 3:17-cv-03625, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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454 thoughts onHonda Class Action Says Engine Starter Defect Merits Warranty Coverage
I have a 2015 Honda Accord sport and my car has been giving me problem turning on it lights up a problem with the traction when I continueTo try after several times it will turn on I have 75000 miles I’m scared to take it an then they tell me I have to pay thousands of dollars
My Honda Odyssey 2015 with about 55K miles has the same starter problem. Please include me as well.
Add me as well…2015 Honda Accord automatic with almost 60k miles. Takes multiple attempts to get it started. Should be a free fix at this point.
I am having the same problem with my 2014 accord. It just started in the last couple of weeks. The battery has been tested and is fine. The car has 49,700 miles. I live in Maryland.
Just purchased Used 2013 Honda Accord from a Dealer, had car 2 weeks and having problems with the starter, this after the Dealer said they replaced the starter before they turned car over to me.
Can you add me to the class? From CT with a 2017 Accord.
is the 2016 accord involved in this lawsuit as well? I have 70,000 miles and it needs a new starter and a starter flywheel–over 2000.00 in repairs
we just bought a 2013 accord and it does start with the first try. We are trying to deal with the dealer that sold us the car. But add me to the law suit.
I am an owner of a 2013 Accord LX (L4) with the identical problem. It is not yet fixed, which must be done in order to operate the vehicle safely. It appears I’m going to have to pay out a minimum of $700 to replace the starter, without knowing whether the replacement starter is another defective one. American Honda Corp executives must be brain dead not to realize their greater cost is to ignore the defect and later reimburse everyone than to keep it “in-house”, controlling cost, and reducing bad press on what had been a good reliability reputation.
Same issue 2015 fit 60k miles. Have to fork over 1k 800 for starter 2hundred for initial clutch repair that was not th ed issue. Unbelievable.