Own a Honda with a HandsFreeLink™ bluetooth system? Hagens Berman is investigating a battery-draining bluetooth defect in Honda vehicles. Fill out the form to find out your consumer rights »

Court
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Case Number
16-cv-04507
Defendant(S)
American Honda Motor Company Inc.
File Date
Related Documents

Hagens Berman is investigating a battery-draining defect in Honda vehicles. If you have experienced drained or dead batteries, recurring battery replacement or premature failure of other essential electric components such as alternators, we want to hear from you.

ABOUT THE DEFECT

According to Hagens Berman, the HandsFreeLink™ feature will get stuck in the "on" position even if not in use and even after the car is turned off. Once stuck, the 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.

Honda owners may be 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. 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.

YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS

According to Hagens Berman, Honda owners may not only be out the cost of potential replacement, but may also find themselves with cars that are less valuable than comparable cars with properly functioning hands-free phone-pairing systems.

A lawsuit may seek reimbursement for vehicle owners related to the defect and an injunctive order to end Honda’s alleged concealment of the defect and denial of warranty coverage for repairs related to the HandsFreeLink™ defect. 

TOP AUTO LITIGATION FIRM

Hagens Berman is one of the most successful auto litigation law firms in the U.S. and has taken on Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and other automakers for consumers. The law firm is also leading national charges against GM, Volkswagen and Mercedes for similar use of diesel emissions-cheating software, and your claim will be handled by attorneys experienced in automotive consumer law.

NO COST TO YOU

There is no cost or fee whatsoever involved in joining this lawsuit. In the event Hagens Berman or any other firm obtains a settlement that provides benefits to class members, the court will decide a reasonable fee to be awarded to the class' legal team. In no case will any class member ever be asked to pay any out-of-pocket sum.

 

Case Timeline

11/01/17: Case Update

Plaintiffs filed the second amended complaint in July of  2017. Honda moved to dismiss certain counts in plaintiffs' second amended complaint in August 2017, and plaintiffs opposed this motion in October. We are hopeful that Judge Tigar will rule on this motion in the near future. In the interim, the parties continue to discuss the status of discovery and resolve certain discovery disputes. 

 

05/17/17: Case Update

Judge Jon S. Tigar, of the Northern District of California, recently denied (download Judge Tigar's Order) in large part Honda’s requests to dismiss plaintiffs’ claims—representing a big win for consumers. In doing so, Judge Tigar found it was plausible that the HandsFree Link defect posed a safety risk because drained batteries could cause the car to stop unexpectedly on the road. He also found that plaintiffs have adequately plead that Ford knew about the relationship between the HandsFree Link and drained batteries as early as 2005, but withheld this information from consumers. With this decision, a large number of Plaintiffs’ claims are allowed to continue.

Plaintiffs anticipate filing an amended complaint by July 2017, which will update some of the allegations at issue, and are  eager to move forward with the discovery process in order to build on the momentum of this recent win.

Case Timeline

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