Class Action Lawsuit Claims 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey Minivans Plagued by Defective Starting System

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey minivans are equipped with a defective starting system that can prevent a vehicle from starting during normal operation.

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The 132-page lawsuit contends that Honda has actively concealed that the batteries in the Odyssey minivans fail to adequately charge during normal operation, resulting in insufficient power output and torque to crank, or turn over, the vehicles’ engines. Per the case, the starting system defect manifests when a vehicle either completely shuts off during an idle stop at a traffic light or stop sign, or fails to restart after being parked.

According to the automotive lawsuit, the starter defect occurs because the vehicles’ batteries do not effectively charge while driving, causing a “perpetual” low-charge state lacking adequate power to crank the engine and start the vehicle. Further, the suit says that the starter motors in the Honda Odysseys prematurely degrade because of heat and age, which gradually reduces the overall torque output and compounds the apparent starter defect.

Per the complaint, the defect can render the vehicles completely inoperable, leaving drivers stranded at traffic signals and stop signs, or on signal-regulated highway onramps and other dangerous areas.

The filing says that Honda has “long been aware” of the defect, yet despite notice from consumer complaints, dealerships, pre-sale durability testing, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigations and more, the automaker has failed to issue a recall, provide a suitable repair, or reimburse drivers who incurred out-of-pocket costs related to the problem.

The case also charges that Honda should have been aware of the starter defect because the flaw has previously manifested in other Honda or Acura vehicles, including earlier-model Honda Odyssey minivans.

Honda in January 2023 began to issue a series of technical service bulletins (TSBs) that recommended affected Honda and Acura vehicles, including 2018-2023 Odyssey minivans, receive an update to the programmed fuel injection software, as well as a replacement starter assembly to cure the defect and a 10-year extension of warranty coverage, the case says.

However, the class action lawsuit notes that although 2018-2023 Odyssey vehicles were included in the TSBs, Honda only provided the software update and withheld from Odyssey drivers both replacement starter systems and extended warranties.

The Honda class action lawsuit looks to cover all current and former owners or lessees of a 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey that was purchased or leased in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all other United States territories and/or possessions.

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