Honda Motor is being sued over the peeling white paint of several Honda and Acura car models

An illustrative photo of the Honda Odyssey. Source: Honda

A class action lawsuit has been filed in the US against Honda Motor. The lawsuit alleges that the paint colours White Diamond Pearl, Taffeta White, White Orchid Pearl and Bellanova White have defects caused by the manufacturing process. Over time, the coating has blistered, cracked, and sometimes even peeled off completely.

Here's What We Know

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The problem, the plaintiffs allege, is due to the complexity of the three-step painting process and manufacturing defects. The document also alleges that the defect was present in a latent form during production and will "invariably manifest itself during the reasonably expected life span" of these Honda and Acura models.

The plaintiffs believe that Honda had a duty to warn customers of potential problems back when they purchased the vehicle. Moreover, the company had already issued technical bulletins and extended the warranty to owners of the Acura MDX, Honda Odyssey (2013), Honda Pilot (2014-2015), Honda Fit (2015-2017), and Honda HR-V (2016-2018) with the paint job in question.

Honda HR-V (2016). Illustrative photo. Source: Honda

Most of the problematic models were produced at Honda's Lincoln, Alabama plant between 2013 and 2017, using a robotic system. The problem has been found in all US states, which rules out the influence of local climate conditions.

What do the car owners want?

The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial, repainting costs, economic damages, and punitive and exemplary damages. Honda has not yet officially commented on the case.

It already has

This is not the first such incident for Honda. There was already a similar lawsuit over paint in Canada in 2018, culminating in $27 million in compensation in 2022.

Source: Carscoops