— A Honda infotainment lawsuit settlement has been preliminarily approved for these vehicles.
- 2018-2019 Honda Odyssey (Elite, EX, EX-L, EX-LNR and Touring)
- 2019 Honda Pilot (2EX-LNR, 2TRG, 2TRG 7P, 4Elite, 4EX, 4EX-L, 4EX-LNR, 4TRG and 4TRG 7P)
- 2019 Honda Passport (2EX-L, 2TRG, 4Elite, 4EX-L, or 4TRG)
The Honda owners who sued allege the infotainment systems crash and freeze due to software and hardware defects. The systems also allegedly fail to start, shut down and they allegedly cause failures of connected devices such as phones and mp3 players.
According to the plaintiffs, the infotainment systems are safety hazards because they control the safety systems, communications, climate control and navigation features.
Although the automaker decided to settle to save the cost of prolonged litigation, Honda denies the allegations in the infotainment class action lawsuit and denies the vehicles have defects of any kind. Honda further says it did nothing wrong and denies all the claims asserted in the lawsuit.
The Honda infotainment lawsuit was originally filed in March 2019, followed by a separate class action against Acura and Honda entitled Banh v. American Honda Motor Co.
Honda Infotainment Lawsuit Settlement Agreement
Honda Extended Warranty
The original 3-year/36,000-mile warranty will be extended by two years or 24,000 miles.
The extended warranty will cover certain infotainment system symptoms if the vehicle is within five years or 60,000 miles from the original purchase or lease dates of the 2018-2019 models.
The settlement says the infotainment symptoms are the same as addressed in an existing technical service bulletin (TSB 20-049). Those symptoms include popping or crackling from the speakers, no sound from the audio system or a network loss message.
Honda had also released TSB 20-058 for symptoms of popping or crackling from the speakers, no sound from the audio system, network loss message and/or display issues.
Reimbursement for Certain Out-of-Pocket Expenses
It's possible Honda customers may receive reimbursements, however, the reimbursement is only for battery recharging costs incurred because a battery drained when the infotainment system didn't turn off when it should have.
A Honda customer may also file a claim for reimbursement for transportation expenses, but only if the vehicle was returned to the dealership two or more times to obtain infotainment symptom repairs.
Customers must submit valid claims by the deadline and include documentation of the conditions and expenses.
Two Years of Free HondaLink Security Service or One Year of SiriusXM Select
A customer must submit a valid timely claim with all required documentation to receive either two years of free HondaLink Security Service (Elite and Touring trim vehicles) or one free year of SiriusXM Select service (EX and EX-L trim vehicles).
However, there are conditions:
"The Honda customer must have, 'made more than one service visit to an authorized Honda dealership on or before the date of this Notice for Infotainment System issues not resolved during the initial warranty service visit excluding any customer visit as a result of a recall or product update.'"
The Honda infotainment lawsuit settlement also says the automaker agreed to increase technician training regarding the infotainment systems.
Additionally, for at least two years Honda will maintain an online resource related to infotainment systems in the affected Honda vehicles.
Honda customers can learn more about the infotainment lawsuit settlement here.
The Honda infotainment lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division - Conti, et al., v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, and Goldenberg Schneider, LPA..
