‘Parasitic Draw’: Class Action Alleges 2017-2019 Honda CR-V, 2016-2019 Accord Models Suffer from Battery-Killing Defect [UPDATE]

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Honda has for years failed to address an apparent battery-killing “defect” that can cause a vehicle’s electrical components to fail to shut down when a car is parked and turned off, a proposed class action claims.

The 70-page lawsuit alleges American Honda Motor Co. has known for some time yet failed to disclose that millions of 2017-2019 CR-V and 2016-2019 Accord models are plagued by “parasitic draw,” the term for when a car’s components continue to consume power from the stored electricity in its 12-volt battery even though the vehicle is turned off. 

Parasitic draining, if left unrepaired, can prematurely shorten the life of a car battery and lead to a host of other issues, the case, filed in Iowa’s Southern District Court on May 18, stresses. The parasitic draw problem affecting Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles poses a safety risk in that it can manifest without warning and potentially stop a vehicle while it’s being driven, the complaint says. Without power, a vehicle’s emergency hazard lights and headlights—not to mention windshield wipers, internal computer, door locks, engine diagnostic functions and other critical systems—will not work, and “[p]rolonged and recurrent” battery depletion can cause the overuse of a car’s alternator, the lawsuit adds. When an alternator, responsible for replenishing a vehicle’s battery while its engine is running, is overtaxed, it will generate a reduced amount of power before it, too, ultimately fails, the suit says. 

According to the suit, drivers who’ve experienced the defect have reported being left stranded given they’re unable to start their cars. 

“Indeed, owners have complained that the Defect has caused them to miss medical appointments and left them stranded in the middle of the night in airport parking lots,” the case claims.

To fix the draining problem, Honda drivers have had to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for replacement batteries and repairs, the lawsuit says. Even after repairs have been made, however, the parasitic draining defect persists, as the “band-aid” replacement components will “ultimately fail as well,” the complaint alleges. 

Prior to the sale of affected CR-Vs and Accords, Honda, the complaint alleges, was aware of the parasitic draw defect, and has issued to dealers internal service bulletins about the issue, yet has failed to offer a reliable solution or recall the cars. Instead, Honda has instructed dealers to perform internal software updates and replace dead batteries if necessary, the suit says, alleging the automaker is more than likely aware these fixes are in vain. 

“But Honda already knows that neither ‘corrective action’ remedies the parasitic draw Defect nor makes the vehicles any more dependable for their owners,” the suit charges. “Had plaintiff and other Class Members known of the Defect at the time of purchase or lease, they would not have bought or leased the Class Vehicles or would have paid substantially less for them.” 

According to the lawsuit, Honda has sold more than two million 2017-2019 CR-V and 2016-2019 Accord models stricken with the parasitic draw defect.

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