Honda Motor Company
Everyone has at least one friend who drives an older Honda with well over 100,000 miles on it that still works as well as the day it was driven off the lot. The car brand is well known for its reliable and accessible vehicles, often beating out several other leading auto manufacturers in ratings and sales every year. Honda consistently ranks well in studies carried out by J.D. Power and Consumer Reports. In 2021 alone, the company has sold over 4.5 million new cars worldwide. But despite the manufacturer’s great reputation amongst consumers, not all Honda owners are experiencing the reliability that is normally associated with the brand. In fact, many Honda owners with 2017 and newer vehicles say that they are experiencing a range of electrical issues due to defects with their Honda infotainment systems.
What Does Honda’s Infotainment System Do?
The Honda infotainment system is an integrated communication, entertainment, and navigation system found within many of their newer vehicles. Its software controls a range of features including GPS navigation, vehicle settings and certain smartphone features. Although Honda claims that this first-generation infotainment system makes driving safer for their customers, some drivers say otherwise and claim that the carmaker has sold more than 100,000 Honda models with defective infotainment systems that crash repeatedly, causing other important vehicle functions to go down with them. In some cases, Honda owners say that all the screens on the dashboard go blank while driving, preventing them from seeing important information such as how much fuel they have left, their maps, or important safety notices. Others have said that their systems will randomly turn back on even after the car has been turned off, which drains and damages the vehicle’s battery. In 2019, some Honda owners had had enough.
2019 Class Action Lawsuit
According to a 2019 class-action lawsuit filed in the Central District of California, plaintiffs alleged that infotainment issues in their Honda vehicles were the result of defects in both the software and hardware, causing crashes, freezes, failure to start or shut down, and failure to connect to smart devices. Additionally, these defects caused safety-related issues including rear camera failure, disabling of navigation features, and blank screens on consoles while driving. The plaintiffs claim that despite multiple service attempts, Honda was unable to fix these defective systems and had also failed to issue a recall or make the issue known to consumers. These malfunctions allegedly occurred almost immediately after the purchase or lease of affected vehicles, with some owners reporting issues at as low as 580 miles.
In November 2017, Honda began issuing Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) about these problems. TSBs are repair instructions and protocols by vehicle manufacturers that are released when there are several incidents of an unprecedented problem. These notices are only sent to dealers and mechanics, not to vehicle owners. It seems that despite being aware of these problems, Honda did not issue a recall nor did they inform affected customers of it.
Honda has denied all allegations in the lawsuit. The court has not ruled in favor of either side. Instead both parties have agreed to settle the class-action lawsuit, benefiting certain vehicle lessees and owners who have experienced defects in their car’s infotainment system and have filed Honda settlement claim forms. According to the terms of the settlement, owners of the affected Odyssey, Passport, and Pilot models will receive a two year or 24,000-mile warranty extension for the infotainment system; one year of free Sirius XM Select or two years of free HondaLink Security Service; and reimbursement of some of the costs of repair if the vehicle was taken to the dealership more than once to fix the infotainment system.
Affected Honda Vehicles with the Infotainment Defects
Although the class action lawsuit includes the Honda Odyssey, Passport and Pilot, other 2017-2022 models equipped with these systems have been affected by this defect. Here’s what some customers had to say about their experiences with other affected vehicles:
Honda Accord Sedan
“The tachometer and entire dashboard, including entertainment center, shuts off while driving. This is a big safety issue, especially while using the GPS.”
-Honda Accord Owner
“The dashboard lit up with many warnings LKA, Mitigation, Brake Defective (See Dealer Immediately). I could not drive the car.”
-Honda Accord Owner
Honda Civic Coupe, Hatchback, and Sedan
“Infotainment screen (radio, heat, navigation system, a/c, etc. controls touchscreen) will flash off and on while driving…”
-Honda Civic Owner
Honda Civic Si Coupe and Sedan
“When cold out, the screen will not come on, only displays a white screen.”
-Honda Si Civic Coupe Owner
Honda Clarity
“The car was parked for about 10 mins. Return to car and start it. The ‘Power Management’ Warning Displayed. Following with Brake System, TPMS, Electric Power Steering, and RDM Inoperate Message show up. Car could not start…”
-Honda Clarity Owner
Honda CR-V
“The display all of the sudden started beeping and flashing different screens. The screen brightness changed as well as the display. Nothing was being touched. This went on for at least 4 minutes until we had to pull over and shut the car off.”
-Honda CR-V Owner
“After the car is turned completely off, the dash lights [come] up with all warning lights on and won’t shut down, which then drains the battery. This has happened 3 times and we’ve gone through 2 batteries.”
–Honda CR-V Owner
Honda Fit
“The fuel and mileage gauge mostly [fail] to display. It makes me feel unsafe when I cannot see how much fuel I have while driving.”
-Honda Fit Owner
“Today, I went out to start the car and the screen was blank, a few seconds later the screen displayed what looked like every light it could.”
-Honda Fit Owner
Honda HR-V
“When I turn the car on in the morning, the dash panel is black.”
-Honda HR-V Owner
Honda Ridgeline
“While driving [the] info management system stops working, freezes then goes blank.”
-Honda Ridgeline Owner
If you have purchased a Honda model that is not a Honda Odyssey (2018-2019), Passport (2019), or Pilot (2019), your vehicle may still be affected by flaws in its software and or hardware. As you can see, tons of Honda models have also been manufactured with defective infotainment systems that cause the dashboard screens to go blank, draining the batteries, and occasionally, even issuing false safety warnings onscreen.
FAQs
I think I have a Honda vehicle that qualifies under the settlement claim, should I pursue that or a lemon law case instead?
Settlements are split among thousands of vehicle owners and that is why we advise that you pursue a lemon law claim instead as long as you have opted out of any relevant or class action lawsuit and preserved your individual rights. BY opting out of a class action lawsuit, you are able to pursue full remedies under the California lemon law. With a lemon law claim, your recovery could likely be much greater than what you would receive in a class action settlement.
Additionally, the current class action settlement is only available for people who own a 2018-2019 Honda Odyssey, 2019 Passport, and 2019 Pilot, which is quite limiting since numerous other Honda models have also had these same issues. For most, pursuing a lemon law case where you could get a refund or cash compensation and payment of your attorney’s fees is a much better option than splitting a small piece of a settlement amongst many.
I own a Honda that has had issues with its infotainment defects, but I’m past 18,000 miles and the warranty has ended. Could I still have a lemon law claim?
You may still have a lemon law claim if you have taken your Honda in for multiple repairs to a certified dealership and those first attempts were made during the warranty period. The only way to know for sure is to contact us for a free, confidential case evaluation today. If you own a vehicle that qualifies for a settlement, it’s best to get in touch with California’s premier lemon law firm and file a lemon law claim to enhance the recovery amount you could be eligible to receive.
Contact The Lemon Law Experts Today!
If you drive a Honda equipped with an infotainment system and you have taken it in for repeat warranty repairs due to any of the issues mentioned, from freezing screens to rear view camera loss or any other concern, we can help you get a cash or refund today at no cost to you. If your first repair attempts occurred under warranty or within the first 18,000 miles, then it’s likely that your Honda is a lemon and you may be entitled to a refund or cash.
As the reviews show, plenty of Honda owners are experiencing similar electrical issues and you could easily qualify for a refund or cash compensation. Affected Honda vehicles models include the Accord, Civic, Civic Si, Clarity, CR-V, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport Pilot, and Ridgeline.
Maximize your recovery by filing an individual lemon law claim instead of pursuing a class action settlement. Contact us for a quick, free, and confidential evaluation for your Honda infotainment defects today.
