Are you a Honda or Acura owner who has experienced problems with the auto idle stop system? You may have some company in your struggles. A new class action lawsuit against Honda has been filed over the allegedly defective system.
Owners claim that the Honda Auto Engine Idle Stop System feature suddenly, without warning, fails to restart the engine after the feature automatically turns off the engine. This defect, owners allege occurs when at red stoplights and other momentary stops.
Let’s take a closer look at the Honda auto engine idle stop system problem, and how it could affect current vehicle owners. Read on to learn more about the Honda Auto Idle Stop System Problem.
Owners Allege the Honda Auto Idle Stop System is Defective
Have you ever been behind the wheel of your Honda or Acura and found yourself frustrated by its auto idle stop system? If so, you’re not alone!
While this feature is meant to enhance fuel efficiency, owner complaints have alleged that the system can put people in dangerous situations.
Vehicle owners have filled complaints with the NHTSA alleging that the defect has left drivers stranded in their stalled vehicles in the middle of oncoming traffic.
Making matters worst, owners report that it takes multiple attempts to restart the vehicle after it stalls. Some owners have even reported that restarting their Honda or Acura vehicle can take up to 15 minutes.
Due to the shear number of complaints, not only is the NHTSA investigating the matter, but a class action lawsuit has been approved to move forward over the defect.
As one can imagine, stalling on a busy highway, requiring to restart the vehicle which can take several minutes is a serious safety concern. As such, owners are seeking relief for the Honda auto engine idle stop system problem.
How Long Has Honda Been Aware of The Defective Auto Idle Stop System?
According to the class action documents, Honda was aware of the auto stop idle defect as early as January 12, 2017.
Honda’s engineering team at its Torrance, California headquarters had reportedly begun an investigation into the engine defect.
However, Honda did not notify customers of the defect, instead only notifying its dealerships through “Dealer Messages” of the investigation. The dealer message, sent on January 12, 2017 was to specifically warn them that “[the] message is solely directed to Honda dealership personnel; please handle accordingly.”
That same Dealer Message was issued once again on February 3 and 23, 2017, and March
10, 16, and 27, 2017.
The class action lawsuit claims that Honda actively concealed that multiple Honda/Acura vehicle models suffer from a start/stop defect.
As such, the defect puts both the driver and passengers of the Honda/Acura vehicles at risk, but also other drivers on the road.
How Does The Honda Auto Idle Stop System Work?
Honda promotes that the Idle Stop feature works when the vehicle brakes to a stop for at least two seconds.
The engine automatically shuts off to save fuel. When the driver releases the brake pedal, the engine starts back up by automatically.
Honda and Acura Models Affected
The following Honda and Acura models are affected by this defect:
- 2018-2020 Honda Odyssey
- 2016-2020 Honda Pilot
- 2019-2020 Honda Passport
- 2015-2020 Acura TLX
- 2015-2020 Acura MDX
Status of the Honda Auto Idle Stop Class Action Litigation
This is an active class action lawsuit. This suit has been brought on behalf of the Plaintiffs and a class of current and former Honda and Acura vehicle owners and lessees.
Cooper et al v. American Honda Motor Co Inc. Case No. 1:22-cv-05299, was filed in the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois.
Honda and Acura Owners’ Voices
Upon exiting stop/start events(auto shut off at stop signs/lights/parking lots), engine does not restart. instead, it shifts into park, lights up all instruments on display panel, and requires a manual restart. vehicle is dead until restarted, posing a hazard to occupants/oncoming traffic. has happened multiple times in past weeks. we also have read of many other owners of ’16/’17 honda pilot owners having the exact same issue.
NHTSA ID Number: 11287574, dated December 6, 2019
The car shut off when trying to recover from idle stop mode. all lights turned off. the car becomes invisible when dark.
NHTSA ID Number: 11415486, dated May 7, 2021
The auto engine idle feature engaged at a stop light as usual. when i moved my foot from the brake to the accelerator, the car shut off, shifted into neutral and would not start. this was on a major highway. it took several minutes to start again, while i was stalled in dangerous traffic.
NHTSA ID Number: 11417954, dated May 20, 2021
While stopped at a red light, the engine would completely shut off. i had to restart the car and it would take multiple attempts to turn it back on. the first time it happened, i thought it was a battery issue. but i had since changed the battery and the problem still occurs. it seems to happen when the idle mode is not turned off. this is dangerous as it could cause an accident to have your car suddenly stop working in the middle of traffic.
NHTSA ID Number: 11425989, dated July 22, 2021
The auto-idle feature will unexpectedly over-engage while coming to a stop and the entire vehicle will shut off. i am unable to shift, steer, etc. it will also completely shut the engine down when at a complete stop. to be clear, this is not the normal auto-idle. when the full engine disengage happens, the entire vehicle loses power and the dash flashes. the vehicle states, “put into p”. once in “p” for park, the vehicle still will not restart. it is as if the vehicle has to “reset” itself. it has taken upwards of 4 minutes for the vehicle to restart. this has happened on a highway during construction traffic, approaching a stop sign, slowing at a red light on multiple occasions. i have almost been rear-ended as a result on mutiple occasions. i am not even able to put the vehicle in neutral to move it to a safe spot. honda informed me that i “just need to disengage this feature each and every time i start the vehicle” . that is not the solution. this feature should be permanently disabled by honda. immediately.
NHTSA ID Number: 11450663, dated February 6, 2022
Questions About This Lawsuit?
MyCarVoice.com is not counsel or the settlement administrator in this class action lawsuit. Our goal is to inform owners of these vehicles of the recent lawsuit. This post will be updated when/if new suit information is released.
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Have you owned or leased a vehicle manufactured by Honda containing an auto idle stop system defect? If so, add your voice to this post in the comments below.
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Richard Mallet
March 2, 2023 at 1:35 pmThis problem causes a lot of inconvenience. It has to be solved
Torey
March 24, 2023 at 5:57 pmThis isn’t just an inconvenience. My wife and children were stuck in the middle of a busy intersection in rush hour traffic. People could be killed by this.
Tracy
March 27, 2023 at 1:40 pmI have experienced this same issue on 3 recent occasions. Very dangerous. Dealership service center couldn’t replicate the issue, so they just told us to turn off the “auto idle” feature whenever we drive.