According to a proposed class action lawsuit, certain Honda and Acura vehicles are equipped with a defective “idle stop” feature that shuts off the engine instead of idling, and then restarts the engine when the accelerator pedal is pushed down.
Among others, the class action alleges, 2018 to 2020 model year Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Acura TLX, and Acura MDX vehicles, i.e., the class vehicles, are equipped with a defective “idle stop” feature that causes the cars to suddenly become temporarily disabled. As per the drivers, the engine idle stop function is unreliable and often fails to restart the engine when the brake pedal is released.
NHTSA is investigating these issues which originally involved only Honda Pilot models. Honda also received similar complaints about the Odyssey, Acura TLX, and MDX. These vehicles are all now part of the lawsuit.
Here’s Honda’s official statement describing its idle stop system, “The Honda idle-stop feature maximizes your fuel efficiency when your vehicle is idling. If you’re stationary for more than two seconds, such as in stop-and-go traffic, the engine will shut off; many of the vehicle’s functions, such as the A/C, will continue to power on smoothly. Merely release the brake to start up the engine again!”
As per the lawsuit, idle stop defect is subject to “sudden and unexpected failure” causing the vehicle to become inoperable. The lawsuit claims that Honda has marketed the affected vehicles as safe, but owners were never informed about “significant safety risk” due to idle stop defects. The lawsuit says drivers have submitted hundreds of complaints about the issue to NHTSA describing serious safety concerns.
The lawsuit alleges that automakers have had “longstanding knowledge” of the idle stop defect in the affected vehicles yet did nothing to fix the issue or compensate owners for lost value or the costs of repairing their cars.
“Each purchaser or lessee of a Class Vehicle unwittingly paid for a vehicle with an undisclosed and significant safety defect,” the complaint reads. “Each of these purchasers and lessees were damaged in that they paid more for their Class Vehicles than they would have paid had they known about the Idle Stop Defect or in that they would not have purchased or leased their Class Vehicles at all had they been informed of the defect[.]”
As per dealerships, Honda was aware of the problem and offered no fix. The lawsuit also alleges that despite knowing the issue, the automaker won’t issue a recall, won’t extend the warranties, and won’t offer a solution to stop the issue.
If you own a Honda or Acura vehicle and are experiencing Idle Stop issues that have not been fixed in a reasonable number of attempts while under warranty, Lemon Law Aid can help you file a lemon claim to get it replaced or repurchased. For more information and a free consultation, fill out the form below.
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