Honda Facing Class Action Lawsuit Due to Infotainment Issues
A class action lawsuit filed in the Central District of California on March 22 alleges that Honda knowingly sold vehicles with defective infotainment systems and refused to fix the problem.
Affected models include the 2018-2019 Odyssey minivan and 2019 Pilot midsize SUV.
Owners have reported frequent system freezes or crashes that prevent them from using features such as navigation, audio and the rear-view camera.
The plaintiffs claim Honda not only has failed to fix their vehicles' defect, but also replaced the defective parts with equally defective ones, leaving them caught in a cycle of “use, malfunction, and replacement.”
According to Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, who is representing Honda owners in the lawsuit, it is estimated that least 150,000 affected vehicles in the U.S. were sold during the timeframe in which Honda equipped them with the defective infotainment system.
The firm shared the following video that gives an example of the infotainment system malfunctioning while driving:
While no specific amount was provided, the lawsuit seeks financial reimbursement for owners who bought or leased an affected Honda Odyssey or Pilot.
Honda did not officially comment on the matter, but acknowledged a “software-related” problem with the Odyssey in a document released earlier this month. The company is apparently working on a fix that will be available through an OTA update.
It is worth noting that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has no open investigation into potential defects associated with Honda’s infotainment system.
And as is the case with the recent class action lawsuit filed against GM over eight-speed transmission problems, we’ll have to wait and see if Odyssey, Pilot or other Honda owners in Canada are affected and plan to take legal action.