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A Honda Idle Stop class action lawsuit settlement final approval hearing is scheduled for June 1 in an effort to finally end the litigation.
According to the settlement, the 20 Honda customers who sued will receive $7,500 each.
The lawyers representing those plaintiffs are seeking $35,250,000 for attorney fees and $823,131.24 for expenses.
Included in the Idle Stop lawsuit settlement are these vehicles if equipped with the Auto Idle Stop features, NP0 engines and nine-speed automatic transmissions.
- 2015–2020 Acura TLX
- 2016–2020 Acura MDX
- 2016–2021 Honda Pilot
- 2019–2021 Honda Passport
- 2020–2021 Honda Ridgeline
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.”
According to the class action lawsuit, the engine would be killed when the vehicle stopped, but the engine wouldn’t restart after a driver released the brake pedal.
Although the Idle Stop feature can be disabled, Acura and Honda owners filed multiple class action lawsuits, with Bolooki v. Honda, Cooper v. Honda, and Nock v. Honda consolidated into one class action titled, “In re Honda Idle Stop Litigation.”
The judge allowed the plaintiffs to modify and refile their class action lawsuit five times, but the lawsuit was certified for only 11 states. In deciding to settle the lawsuit, the automaker said the Idle Stop settlement would be offered to customers nationwide.
Honda Idle Stop Settlement Details
Honda denies all allegations of liability and wrongdoing and references actions it took long before the settlement.
The automaker issued 10-year Idle Stop warranty extensions in 2022 and 2023 to repair the vehicles for free. The 10-year period was from the time an Acura or Honda vehicle first went into service.
Although the warranty extensions already existed, they are now a “benefit” of the Idle Stop settlement.
However, if your Acura or Honda vehicle has already received a starter motor assembly replacement with the “A53” starter motor assembly for free under warranty it is not included in the Idle Stop warranty extension.
These 10-year Idle Stop warranty extensions were issued in 2022 and 2023 to provide customers with free valve adjustments and free A53 Idle Stop starter motors:
The previous Idle Stop warranty extensions required a dealer to verify a problem, but Honda has removed that requirement so a vehicle will be repaired even if technicians cannot replicate the problems.
But customers should be aware of the 10-year limitation because some affected vehicles have already been in use for 10 years and for those vehicles the extended warranties have already expired before the settlement has even been approved.
In response to this issue, for model year 2015 vehicles Honda will offer the Idle Stop warranty extension claim period for 24 months beginning from the date of preliminary approval of the Idle Stop settlement. And for model year 2016 vehicles the period will be 18 months.
Honda had already offered reimbursement to some customers who paid their own money for Idle Stop repairs, but if you spent your own money and were not reimbursed, the settlement includes reimbursement if you file a claim form and provide supporting documentation for paid repairs.
There is nothing official about the Acura and Honda Idle Stop settlement until the judge grants final approval.
The Honda Idle Stop class action lawsuit settlement 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.
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