Honda CR-V and Accord Parasitic Drain Defect Class Action

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. makes many popular models of cars. But the complaint for this class action alleges that certain Honda CR-Vs and Accords have a problem the complaint calls the parasitic drain defect that permits electrical components to stay on when the vehicle is shut off and to keep on draining its battery. This, the complaint says, causes the batteries to deteriorate prematurely and may cause failures of components as well.

The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons and entities in the US, including its territories and the District of Columbia, who bought or leased a 2017-2019 Honda CR-V or a 2016-2019 Honda Accord. A Florida Class has also been defined, for those who live in Florida or who bought or leased their vehicle in Florida.

According to the complaint, “Honda’s claims of excellence in quality, design, safety, and reliability are consistent themes in its promotional materials.” For example, the complaint quotes Honda’s website as saying that its vehicles’ “flexibility and affordability allows Honda to make the road safer for everybody on it by engineering for worst case scenarios in an unprecedented way.”

One of the plaintiffs in this case, Andre Cruz, leased a 2016 Honda Accord from a dealer in Pompano Beach, Florida. Because of the parasitic drain defect, the complaint says, “the battery died and required a jump at least three times.”

Cruz knew this was not right, since the car was new, so he brought it in to the dealership. The technicians did a “load test,” then replaced his battery. But this does not fix the parasitic drain defect, the complaint says, so that Cruz “has been left with a vehicle that he knows could have battery failure at any time and without warning…”

Normally, vehicles have enough energy stored in the battery to start the engine and to power safety features when the vehicle is turned off. Once the engine is on, the alternator takes over and recharges the battery.

However, when the battery is repeatedly drained, it becomes weakened and worn until it fails. Even before the battery completely fails, the complaint says, “excessive draining can cause electrical components of the vehicle such as hazard lights, headlights, and taillights to fail without warning, including when the vehicle is being driven.” The repeated draining and charging put wear and tear on the alternator as well.

Ultimately, the complaint says, the draining problem can lead to a risk of vehicles shutting off or stalling without warning, vehicles that will not start back up, and the failure of components like emergency hazard lights and headlights.

The complaint claims that Honda knows about the parasitic draining problem but does not warn owners, lessees, or potential purchasers or lessors.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Battery System, Defective Automobile