t’s no secret that Honda has been plagued by problems with the paint finishes of several of its models over the past two decades. We've all seen some of the brand's vehicles with paint degraded, chipped or missing in some places, this after only a few years.
Many Civics from the 2000s and early 2010s suffer from the issue. But problems have been reported in more recent models as well. A new class action lawsuit over the defective paint finishes has just been launched against the manufacturer in the U.S.
Canadian vehicles haven’t been spared the problem either, and many will be watching to see what happens with the new suit.
The lawsuit
The lawsuit, filed against Honda's U.S. division, alleges that defective paint was used on Honda and Acura vehicles of the 2013 model-year, but also of more recent vintages.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The complaint alleges that some white paints are so bad that the surface inevitably ends up flaking and delaminating, with bubbles forming on the surface.
The four shades of white identified as problematic are:
- - White Diamond Pearl (paint code NH-603P), used on the Acura MDX, Honda Odyssey
- - Taffeta White (NH-578), used on the Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot
- - White Orchid Pearl (NH-788P), used on the Honda Fit, Honda HR-V
- - Bellanova White (NH-788P), used on the Honda Fit, Honda HR-V
The complainants reserve the right to add other vehicles to the complaint if they have the same paint defect, and point out that Honda has repeatedly issued service notices or extended warranties for the white paints mentioned in the complaint.
The Drive reports that Honda had to deal with a similar class action here in Canada. It was settled in 2022 for over $27 million.
The suit mentions that the vehicles with the paint defects are found all over the U.S., meaning that the problem isn’t confined to vehicles in any particular climate (dry, wet, etc.).
The suit specifies that the vehicles were manufactured at Honda's plant in Lincoln, Alabama, and the paint was applied using a robotized system.
As reported by The Drive, the plaintiffs have requested a jury trial and are seeking a range of remedies, including but not limited to compensation for paint work, reimbursement of attorney's fees and “restitution, compensatory damages and costs for economic loss and expenses incurred”.
Honda has not yet commented on the class action.