— An Acura RDX infotainment lawsuit can continue, but not on a nationwide class action basis as requested by SUV owners.
The class action now includes only 2019-2020 Acura RDX customers who purchased the vehicles new from California Honda/Acura dealerships.
The plaintiffs claim Acura knew the infotainment systems were faulty prior to selling the vehicles, but the automaker allegedly concealed its knowledge of the problems.
At the same time, Acura allegedly doesn't offer any real infotainment system repairs because any defective parts are allegedly replaced with equally defective components.
Some RDX owners claim they are told to wait for software updates, so bringing the SUV to a dealership is a wasted trip.
The plaintiffs claim defects in the systems cause delayed audio, issues with Android Auto and other issues that allegedly diminish the values of the systems.
One RDX owner says the infotainment system started acting up just days after he purchased the SUV, with minute-long delays for audio to play, a problem the dealership says is normal. The infotainment system also allegedly suddenly shuts off or freezes while driving, causing severe distraction to the driver.
The class action alleges RDX owners may be left without multiple services provided by the infotainment systems, including the navigation systems, audio systems, backup cameras and Bluetooth.
In the case of a failed backup camera, the infotainment malfunction creates real safety hazards caused by the inability to see images of the rear of the SUV.
Additionally, the plaintiff says he was promised a software update for Android Auto, but 10 months later no software update had been released.
Honda allegedly distributed advertising materials before the vehicles went on sale in 2018, and those materials said the infotainment systems were compatible with Android Auto. However, the new vehicles were sold equipped with only Apple CarPlay.
According to the plaintiffs, their RDX SUVs have lost their values because of the alleged infotainment system problems.
The lawsuit says the 2019-2020 Acura RDX infotainment system is equipped with a 10.2-inch display screen and manipulated with a touchpad, a change compared to previous versions that used buttons.
Acura RDX lessees from several states were told their claims will need to enter arbitration, a ruling that doesn't affect RDX owners who signed purchase agreements.
Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled too many involved states have different applicable laws, leaving him unable to certify a class action lawsuit that includes non-California consumers.
The Acura RDX infotainment lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division: Banh, et al., v. American Honda Motor Co.
The plaintiffs are represented by Hagens Berman, Goldenberg Schneider, and Niekamp, Weisensell, Mutersbaugh & Mastrantonio.
CarComplaints.com has complaints about Acura RDX SUVs and many other Acura vehicles.