Consumers Sue Honda Claiming Auto Giant Hid Defect, Leaving Vehicles “Dead in the Water” According to FeganScott
29 September 2022 - 1:54AM
Business Wire
Idle Stop feature flawed in thousands of Honda
and Acura Vehicles
Today, September 28, 2022, consumers filed a proposed class
action lawsuit against American Honda Motor Company (NYSE: HMC)
claiming the manufacturer sold thousands of vehicles that contain a
critical safety flaw putting drivers and others at serious risk of
injury.
The suit claims that a wide range of Honda vehicles including
the popular Odyssey, Passport and sister-brand Acura models share a
flawed ‘auto start/stop’ function (also called “Idle Stop”)
intended to save fuel by shutting the engine down at stops. The
complaint alleges that the Idle Stop system routinely fails to
restart the engine as designed, leaving drivers unable to move
their vehicles from intersections and highway entrances, among
other locations.
According to the 113-page complaint filed in United States
District Court in Chicago, Honda was fully aware of the defect
before marketing the vehicles and has been deluged with complaints
and reports from drivers who have been put in harm’s way by the
defect.
“We intend to demonstrate in court that Honda knew of the defect
but chose to ignore the very serious safety implications in the
Idle Stop system out of a desire to bring the vehicles to market
quickly, at any cost,” said Elizabeth Fegan, managing partner of
FeganScott, the consumer-rights law firm filing the case. “What’s
more, we have evidence that Honda sent notices to its dealers as
early as 2017 warning them of the defect, while keeping news of the
defect secret from the driving public.”
According to the complaint, while Honda remained mute about the
defect, consumers learned of the problem only after the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it was
conducting an investigation regarding the Idle Stop defect in June
2022.
“All the drivers we’ve spoken to have very similar experiences;
panic when they try to move their cars from intersections, freeway
onramps and other dangerous locations and finding themselves stuck
in place,” Fegan added. “One parent reported that she was stranded
in a busy intersection with her kids in the car, describing the
situation as being ‘dead in the water.’”
“This is more than an inconvenience; this defect puts drivers at
very serious peril, and we intend to hold Honda accountable for its
actions,” Fegan added.
Drivers of the affected vehicles are encouraged to send their
contact information to autosafety@feganscott.com to learn about
their rights.
The vehicles listed in the suit include: 2018-2020 Honda
Odyssey, 2016-2020 Honda Pilot, 2019-2020 Honda Passport, 2015-2020
Acura TLX, and 2015-2020 Acura MDX that are equipped with the Idle
Stop feature.
About FeganScott
FeganScott is a national class action law firm dedicated to
helping victims of consumer fraud, sexual abuse, and
discrimination. The firm is championed by acclaimed veteran class
action attorneys who have successfully recovered $1 billion for
victims nationwide. FeganScott is committed to pursuing successful
outcomes with integrity and excellence while holding the
responsible parties accountable.
Case No. 1:22-cv-05299
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220928006104/en/
Media Contact: Mark Firmani feganscottpr@firmani.com
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