Hagens Berman: Acura Owners File Class-Action Lawsuit against Honda for Battery-Draining Bluetooth HandsFreeLink Defect
June 22 2016 - 1:57PM
Business Wire
Lawsuit details Honda’s hands-free call system
that permanently pairs with consumers’ mobile devices, leading to
drained batteries
Owners of Honda Acura vehicles featuring the HandsFreeLink
Bluetooth phone-pairing system are suing the automaker for a
battery-draining defect that has plagued owners since at least 2005
despite Honda knowing about the issue, according to Hagens
Berman.
The class-action lawsuit states that Honda’s HandsFreeLink
feature will get stuck on even if not in use and even after the car
is turned off. Once stuck, the unit creates a constant “parasitic”
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.
The lawsuit cites complaints to the National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration detailing the defect’s safety
hazard to drivers, including accounts of vehicles unexpectedly
stalling during high speeds, and sudden, complete electrical
failure.
If you own or lease a Honda Acura with the HandsFreeLink system,
you may be entitled to compensation. Find out more about the
lawsuit.
“Honda has chosen to turn its back on consumers and leave them
with two losing options – either continue to use the HandsFreeLink
system and risk being stranded with a dead battery or losing power
while driving, or replace it and eat the $1000 expense of doing so
with no guarantee that the replacement will function,” said Steve
Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. “Honda would rather
ignore the problem that has plagued Acura owners since 2005 than do
the right thing and issue a remedy.”
Acura owners are not only out the cost of potential replacement,
the suit states. According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S.
District Court for the Central District of California, owners find
themselves with cars that are less valuable than comparable cars
with properly functioning hands-free phone-pairing systems.
“Acura owners are faced with the choice of expensive replacement
of the HandsFreeLink™ unit (in excess of $1000.00), with no promise
that the replacement also will not get stuck ‘on,’ or disabling the
HandsFreeLink™ system by disconnecting the HandsFreeLink™ unit from
the car,” the complaint states. “Despite knowing about the issue
with its HandsFreeLink™ since at least 2005, Honda has merely
issued internal Service Bulletins to its dealers over the years,
notifying only the dealers about the problem, but offering no
meaningful solution, warranty coverage or recall.”
The complaint states that in its rush to become the first
automaker to offer hands-free calling with its HandsFreeLink system
starting with 2004 model year Acura vehicles, Honda failed to
ensure the unit would reliably switch off, and also failed to
adequately notify owners of the issue or remedy the problem.
“Hand-free phone calls in the car may be commonplace technology
now, but when Honda first introduced this concept, it was novel and
a luxury – something used to make its Acura model more appealing to
consumers,” Berman said. “But for more than a decade, Honda has
actively ignored this defect that has the potential to leave Acura
owners shelling out hundreds of dollars for replacements or new
batteries.”
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for vehicle owners related to
the defect and an injunctive order to end Honda’s concealment of
the defect and denial of warranty coverage for repairs related to
the HandsFreeLink defect.
Learn more about the class-action lawsuit against Honda on
behalf of Acura owners.
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights
class-action law firm with offices in 10 cities. The firm has been
named to the National Law Journal’s Plaintiffs’ Hot List eight
times. More about the law firm and its successes can be found
at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news
at @ClassActionLaw.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160622006269/en/
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLPAshley Klann,
206-268-9363ashleyk@hbsslaw.com
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