Santa Clara, CA: A defective automotive class action lawsuit has been filed against Honda by owners of Acura vehicles. The lawsuit states that the automaker sold vehicles with a battery-draining defect that has plagued owners since at least 2005 despite Honda knowing about the issue.
According to the complaint, the HandsFreeLink™ unit will get stuck in the “on” position, even if the feature is not in use and even after the car’s ignition switch is turned off. Once stuck, the HandsFreeLink™ unit creates a constant drain on the electric system, leading to drained and dead batteries, recurring battery replacement and premature failure of other essential electric components such as alternators.
If you own or lease an Acura with the HandsFreeLink™ system, you may be entitled to compensation.
Acura owners are faced with the choice of disabling the HandsFreeLink™ unit or replacing it at a cost in excess of $1,000, with no guarantee that the replacement will function properly, according to the complaint. Since 2005, Honda has issued internal Technical Service Bulletins, notifying only the dealers about the problem, but offering no meaningful solution, warranty coverage or recall for consumers.
The suit also states that Acura owners are not only out the cost of potential replacement. According to the lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, owners find themselves with cars that are less valuable than comparable cars with properly functioning hands-free systems.
Plaintiffs are represented by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.
