— An Acura HandsFreeLink class action lawsuit settlement has been reached eight years after the Bluetooth lawsuit was filed.
The Acura settlement includes 2004-2008 Acura TL, 2005-2008 Acura MDX and 2007-2009 Acura RDX vehicles.
What began eight years ago for Acura owners nationwide ended for specific customers in only four states.
Acura decided to settle to end the class action to avoid further time and expense, and the automaker "vigorously denies" all allegations in the lawsuit.
The Acura class action lawsuit alleges the HandsFreeLink Bluetooth interface is defective and won't shut down once the vehicles are shut off. This causes the battery to drain and leaves the vehicle dead and unable to start.
In addition to a drained battery, the HandsFreeLink lawsuit alleges the alternators can fail.
The HandsFreeLink lawsuit references a December 2008 bulletin issued to dealerships regarding how the “control unit has an internal problem, which creates a parasitic current draw of 250mA.”
The plaintiffs contend this is how the battery gets drained, then replacing the battery with a new one will end in the same results.
Complaining about drained replacement batteries allegedly only leads to instructions from Acura to disconnect the HandsFreeLink unit.
The class action alleges it can cost $1,000 to replace the HandsFreeLink unit, and sometimes an owner may need to disconnect the unit if they don't have the money to replace it.
However, vehicle owners complain of problems when one allegedly defective HandsFreeLink unit is replaced with another unit that will have the same issues.
Acura HandsFreeLink Settlement
Apparently, Acura vehicles in the majority of the country are not defective because the HandsFreeLink settlement includes certain customers in only four states.
"If you purchased a 2004-2008 TL, 2005-2008 MDX, or 2007-2009 RDX Acura vehicle (“Settlement Class Vehicles”) in the states of California, Kansas, New York, and Washington before the vehicles reached 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever occurred first, you may be entitled to benefits under the Settlement." — Acura HandsFreeLink settlement
Also note some of these vehicles are 20 years old and the newest covered model year is 2009, but the settlement applies only if you purchased the vehicle "before the vehicles reached 10 years or 120,000 miles."
Under terms of the Acura HandsFreeLink settlement, customers who paid out-of-pocket for parts or labor to replace the HandsFreeLink unit due to confirmed "excessive parasitic drain" prior to the vehicle reaching 10 years or 120,000 miles from original purchase are eligible for HandsFreeLink replacement reimbursements of up to $500 for each replacement.
The Acura Bluetooth battery drain settlement also says a customer may be eligible for a $350 payment if the HandsFreeLink unit was disconnected from the system, "or there was simply indication that the HFL Unit suffered from excessive parasitic drain prior to the vehicle reaching 10 years or 120,000 miles from original purchase."
According to the Acura settlement, the owners who sued (Lindsay and Jeff Aberin, Don Awtrey, Charles Burgess, John Kelly, and Joy Matza) will receive $7,500 each, and the attorneys representing the owners will receive "an award of reasonable and fair attorney’s fees in the amount of $10,900,000 and reimbursement of costs in the amount of $1,037,458.66."
The HandsFreeLink settlement won't be final until the judge holds a final fairness hearing August 15, 2024.
Acura owners may learn more about the Acura HandsFreeLink lawsuit settlement by visiting www.settlement-claims.com/handsfreelink/
The plaintiffs are represented by Seeger Weiss LLP, and Carella Byrne Cecchi Brody Agnello, P.C.