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Court Grants Final Approval To 2019-2020 Acura RDX Infotainment System Defect Settlement

On December 6, 2021, Judge R. Gary Klausner of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted final approval to a nationwide class action settlement negotiated by Goldenberg Schneider and its co-counsel in Bahn v. America Honda Motor Co., Inc., C.D. Cal. 2:19-cv-05984-RGK (ASx).  In the case, plaintiffs alleged that America Honda Motor Co., Inc. (“AHM”) knowingly sold its 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles with defective infotainment systems that behaved erratically, malfunctioned, and repeatedly froze, thereby distracting the driver and posing a safety hazard.    Since the lawsuit was filed, AHM has issued recalls, Service Bulletins, and software updates intended to address the infotainment systems’ problems.

The Settlement requires an independent engineering expert to validate the efficacy of the countermeasures that AHM has developed; facilitates the implementation of these countermeasures in the field; provides a two-year/24,000 mile warranty extension covering these issues; obligates AHM to work in good faith to continue to improve Infotainment System performance at least through the extended warranty period; creates a Dealership Assistance and Assessment Program (the “DAAP”) that will direct AHM’s authorized dealerships to undergo additional training and to repair or address infotainment system problems described by the vehicle owner even when the problem does not manifest during the service visit; creates the Infotainment System Online Resource to, among other things, inform Settlement Class Members about the countermeasures now available and the symptoms they are designed to address and permit Settlement Class Members to report directly to AHM any new Infotainment System symptoms or problems they may experience; provides a mechanism to compensate qualifying Settlement Class Members for the inconvenience and hassle they may have experienced because of relevant Infotainment System problems, including two free years of AcuraLink Security Service (valued at $89 per year); and provides a mechanism for qualifying Settlement Class Members to receive full reimbursement for eligible out-of-pocket expenses. Further, the Proposed Settlement provides a mechanism for AHM to separately pay reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs and Plaintiff service awards so that these payments will not dilute any of the benefits available to the Class.

The settlement successfully resolved claims for the approximately 130,000 class members who purchased or leased 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles.  Additional information about the settlement and instructions on how to submit a claim for benefits can be found at www.infotainmentsettlement.com.