— An Acura RDX infotainment lawsuit reached the settlement stage, but the judge overseeing the case refused to sign off on the settlement agreement.
According to the Acura RDX infotainment class action lawsuit, the 2019-2020 Acura RDX SUVs have defects that cause problems with the navigation, audio and backup camera systems.
Problems also allegedly occur when using Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay which cause distractions to the driver.
The RDX SUVs originally came equipped with Apple CarPlay only, but the lawsuit alleges Acura promised that Android Auto would be made available through a software update "soon." However, the class action alleges the feature still hasn't been rolled out.
The RDX lawsuit alleges the automaker has known the infotainment systems are defective but failed to disclose the information to consumers.
The plaintiffs also allege Acura gets out of warranty obligations by telling customers to wait for upcoming infotainment system updates. And even if dealers replace the systems, the replacement systems are allegedly just as defective as the original infotainment systems.
Acura dealers allegedly discourage RDX owners from bringing the SUVs in for repairs by warning customers there isn't anything that can be done about the alleged infotainment system problems.
In exchange for releasing their claims against the automaker, RDX customers may be eligible for an extended warranty of two years or 24,000 miles. Acura has also agreed to better train technicians concerning infotainment systems, and some customers may receive two years of free AcuraLink Security Service.
A customer must have made multiple visits to an Acura dealership due to infotainment system problems but the infotainment system wasn't repaired during the initial visit.
It's also possible an owner may be able to receive compensation for "certain costs related to delayed warranty claims, such as transportation and battery recharging costs."
Judge Has Problems With Acura RDX Infotainment Lawsuit Settlement Release
Although the plaintiffs and Acura reached a settlement agreement, Judge R. Gary Klausner declined to certify the Acura RDX class action settlement because "the scope of the release in the settlement agreement is overly broad."
"A settlement agreement may preclude a member from bringing a related claim in the future 'even though the claim was not presented and might not have been presentable in the action,’ but only where the released claim is ‘based on the identical factual predicate as that underlying the claims in the settled class action.’” — Judge Klausner
In other words, the judge says a release of claims that go beyond the scope of the allegations in the lawsuit is not permitted. According to the judge, other courts have declined to certify class action settlement agreements that contained broad releases.
Judge Klausner ruled the plaintiffs may file a renewed motion for preliminary settlement approval.
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.
