Honda Ridgeline Backup Camera Failures Class Action

A vehicle’s backup camera is part of its safety equipment. If the backup camera fails, it increases the risk of a collision with people or objects behind the vehicle when it is backing up. The complaint for this class action alleges that the backup camera in certain Honda Ridgeline vehicles may fail or become intermittent because of a defective tailgate wiring configuration. It brings suit against American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Honda Motor Company Ltd.

The Nationwide Class for this action is all owners and lessees of 2017-2019 Honda Ridgeline vehicles bought or leased in the US and its territories. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Classes have also been defined, for those who bought or leased their vehicles in those states.

The complaint alleges the wire harness is made from inferior materials and that the normal operation of the tailgate can cause the wire harness to fatigue and eventually to break its connection to the backup camera.

One of the three plaintiffs in this case, Johnson Qu, bought a new 2018 Honda Ridgeline in January 2018. He also bought an extended warranty for around $2,500. Less than a year later, in October 2018, the Ridgeline’s backup camera failed. At the time, the vehicle had only around 15,000 miles on it. Because the vehicle was still under warranty, the dealership replaced it at no charge. However, even after the repair, the camera failed intermittently.

The tailgate of the Ridgeline can be opened in two ways, in a vertical, drop-down configuration like most pickup trucks and in a horizontal, swing-open configuration. The complaint alleges, “When the tailgate is opened horizontally, at the location of the tailgate pivot, the tailgate pinches the tailgate wiring harness, causing the wiring coating and internal wiring to wear, and eventually break or sever.”

What’s wrong with the harness? The complaint shows “screen grabs” from a YouTube video entitled, “2017 Honda Ridgeline—Backup Camera Stopped Working (Wiring Destroyed). The images show a kind of tubing containing multiple wires, at least one of which looks severed. According to the complaint, “[d]ue to a defect in materials and workmanship, the wiring insulators, strain reliefs, and the metal conductors inside these wires are prone to fatiguing and breaking, resulting in an intermittent or permanent short circuit and the malfunction of the backup camera. By nature, the Defect becomes increasingly severe over time.”

The complaint alleges that “[t]he [I]nternet is replete with complaints” about the defect and backup camera failure: “For example, one Ridgelineownersclub.com, there is a discussion thread entitled ‘2017-2018 broken tailgate harness causes backup camera failure,’ with sixteen (16) pages of complaints and discussion about the Defect.”

The complaint claims that Honda has known the harnesses are defective but has continued to sell vehicles containing them and has no final fix for the problem.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Backup Camera, Defective Automobile, Wire Harness