— An Acura oil consumption settlement has been reached after vehicle owners alleged the following models are equipped with defective 3.7-liter J37 engines.
- 2010-2013 Acura MDX
- 2011-2012 Acura RL
- 2009-2014 Acura TL
- 2010-2013 Acura ZDX
The Acura oil consumption settlement still needs to receive final approval by the judge in July, but vehicle owners and Honda agreed to the terms.
According to the class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs say they discovered the Acura excessive oil consumption problem in September 2013 and eventually took the vehicle to the dealership six times during the warranty coverage period.
The dealership performed two oil consumption tests that allegedly showed 1 quart of oil was used every 2,400 to 2,900 miles.
The plaintiffs also allege the “Maintenance Minder” (MM) deceives drivers by displaying inaccurate information regarding the "life of engine oil when that oil is getting burnt during the operation of the engine and doesn’t last for the amount of time displayed by the MM."
Acura allegedly concealed oil consumption problems and denied there were problems when Acura owners visited dealerships. The plaintiffs claim they would have purchased or leased models with different engines or would have been driving vehicles manufactured by competitors if Honda would have warned them about the engines.
Acura says the owner's manuals recommend to check the engine oil each time the vehicles are refueled, something the lawsuit says is "unconscionable."
However, the settlement notice admits only a limited number of Acura owners have complained about oil consumption problems.
The lawsuit was never certified as a class action and the automaker denies there are problems with the vehicles. Honda says the only reason it agreed to the settlement is to avoid the time and expense of ongoing litigation.
The settlement doesn't provide customers with replacement engines even though the plaintiffs allege it's the engines that are defective. But customers may be eligible for other benefits.
Acura Oil Consumption Settlement Terms
Honda has agreed to reimburse for out-of-pocket expenses incurred before the class action notice date as long as a customer submits a valid and eligible claim and the required documents.
Honda has also agreed to cover the costs for piston repairs after the settlement agreement has been signed as long as the repair is performed during the powertrain warranty period or the warranty gap period.
The gap period means the six months after the effective date of the settlement and applies only to vehicles which are outside the powertrain warranty period and which do not have prior eligible repairs for which the claim can be made.
Honda will also cover the cost for a piston repair after the Acura oil consumption settlement is signed, provided the repair is performed during the powertrain warranty period or during the warranty gap period.
In addition, Honda will provide an updated powertrain warranty period to customers after the Acura oil consumption settlement is signed.
A customer may need to have an excessive oil consumption test performed by an Acura dealer under the warranty extension period. The procedure is explained in the settlement.
- Your vehicle will need to be topped off with oil to start the oil consumption test.
- The dealership may ask you questions about your oil service history, including whether you top off the engine oil in between oil change visits.
- You will be provided an engine oil consumption test form and the starting mileage on your vehicle will be recorded.
- The service advisor will provide you with instructions on how to check the engine oil level (as needed or at various intervals), what information you may need to record on the test form and when to return to the dealership (this is usually after 1,000 miles of driving).
- The dealer will determine how much oil (if any) your vehicle consumed during the 1,000 mile trip.
- Your vehicle’s engine oil consumption is “excessive” if the oil consumption rate is 1 quart or more every 1,000 miles.
- If your oil consumption is excessive and your vehicle is within the Powertrain Warranty Extension Period (8 year/125,000 miles, whichever occurs first), you will be provided an oil consumption warranty repair.
If the Acura oil consumption settlement receives final approval based on the current terms, Honda will self-administer the settlement and as the claims administrator will be responsible for approving or denying owner claims.
The Acura oil consumption class action lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles: Kojikian et al. v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Margarian Law Firm.
CarComplaints.com has complaints about the Acura models named in the oil consumption lawsuit.