‘Defective’ Idle Stop Feature Leaves Honda, Acura Vehicles Temporarily Disabled, Lawsuit Claims

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A proposed class action alleges that certain Honda and Acura vehicles are equipped with a defective “idle stop” feature that causes the cars to suddenly become temporarily disabled.

According to the 97-page lawsuit, 2016 to 2020 model year Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Acura TLX and Acura MDX vehicles, i.e., the class vehicles, are equipped with a feature that is designed to shut off the engine when the brake pedal is fully applied and the vehicle is idling, and then restart the engine when the driver releases the brake pedal. The case alleges, however, that for the vehicles at issue, the engine idle stop function is unreliable and often fails to restart the engine when the brake pedal is released.

Per the suit, this defect presents serious safety concerns as drivers and passengers can be left stranded in the middle of traffic while attempting to restart their vehicles.

“The vehicle will, suddenly and without notice, become inoperable and undriveable wherever it rests, whether at a red light or stop sign, in the middle of an intersection while making a left-hand turn, or on an entrance ramp to a highway,” the complaint states, claiming disabled vehicles’ engines often fail to restart for several minutes and sometimes must be jump-started.

The lawsuit alleges that defendants Honda Motor Company Limited and American Honda Motor Co., Inc. have had “longstanding knowledge” of the idle stop defect in the affected vehicles yet have done nothing to address the issue or compensate drivers for lost value or the costs of repairing their cars.

“Each purchaser or lessee of a Class Vehicle unwittingly paid for a vehicle with an undisclosed and significant safety defect,” the complaint reads. “Each of these purchasers and lessees were damaged in that they paid more for their Class Vehicles than they would have paid had they known about the Idle Stop Defect or in that they would not have purchased or leased their Class Vehicles at all had they been informed of the defect[.]”

According to the case, the idle stop feature in the affected Pilot, Odyssey, TLX and MDX vehicles is intended to improve fuel economy and activates automatically whenever the vehicles are turned on. If a driver wants to deactivate the feature, they must do so manually each time they turn on their car, the suit adds.

The lawsuit claims that although Honda has marketed the affected vehicles as safe, consumers were never informed of the “significant safety risk” stemming from the idle stop defect. The suit says drivers have submitted hundreds of complaints about the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with many consumers describing how they were “severely frightened” by the problem and have become concerned for their safety.

Honda, however, has not recalled the affected vehicles, extended their warranties, offered suitable repairs, or compensated drivers for the costs of repairing their vehicles or the lost value caused by the idle stop problem, the case contends.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone who purchased or leased in the U.S. a 2016 to 2020 model year Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Acura TLX or Acura MDX equipped with the idle stop feature.

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