— A Honda class action lawsuit has been certified after multiple owners sued over the Idle Stop feature.
The first Honda Idle Stop lawsuit was filed just weeks after the government opened an investigation into complaints about the systems, and as usual more class actions followed.
Three of those (Bolooki v. Honda, Cooper v. Honda, and Nock v. Honda) were consolidated into, "In re Honda Idle Stop Litigation."
According to Honda:
"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! This feature can be easily disabled."
Honda warned drivers certain traffic conditions may not be the best time to engage the feature, so a driver can easily deactivate Idle Stop by pressing a button.
The owners who sued contend the engines do not restart when a driver releases the brake pedal.
The plaintiffs claim Honda knew about the alleged Idle Stop problems before the vehicles were first sold. But instead of fixing the problems before selling the first vehicle, the lawsuit says Honda instead decided to sell defective vehicles that could cause "bodily harm and injury."
Honda denies any wrongdoing or liability, denies all allegations and denies the vehicles are defective. The automaker says any alleged problems were fixed through a software update and warranty extension.
But the plaintiffs claim nothing Honda has done has repaired the Idle Stop failures.
Honda Idle Stop Lawsuit Certified as Class Action
The Honda class action lawsuit was filed as a nationwide action because owners claim all the vehicles in the U.S. are defective. But like numerous automotive class actions, only certain customers in certain states are included in the Idle Stop class action.
The affected Acura and Honda vehicles include the following models if equipped with NP0 engines, nine-speed automatic transmissions and Idle Stop features.
However, any vehicle that has already received a starter motor assembly replacement with the “A53” starter motor assembly for free under warranty is not included in the Idle Stop lawsuit.
- 2015-2020 Acura TLX
- 2016-2020 Acura MDX
- 2016-2021 Honda Pilot
- 2019-2021 Honda Passport
- 2020-2021 Honda Ridgeline
To be included in the class action, the vehicle must have been leased or purchased in California, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, or Virginia.
The lawsuit also includes vehicles in Alabama, Connecticut and Washington, but the vehicle must have been leased or purchased from an authorized Acura or Honda dealership in one of those three states.
No Idle Stop settlement has been reached and a Honda trial is set to start May 20, 2025.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with additional information when it's released.
The Honda Idle Stop lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: In re Honda Idle Stop Litigation, (Hamid Bolooki v. Honda Motor Company Limited, et al), case number 2:22-cv-04252-MCS-SK.
The plaintiffs are represented by DiCello Levitt LLP, Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., and Andrew T. Trailor, P.A.