The flaw at the heart of this case is the kind that seldom makes the nightly news but has been subtly causing some of the scariest driving incidents in recent years. When a Honda owner pulls out of a parking lot, merges onto an interstate, or stops at a red light, the engine falters, stutters, or stops completely.
The plaintiffs claimed that a fuel pump made by Denso with a plastic impeller that might deform over time under typical operating settings was the root of the problem. The engine began acting erratically as soon as the impeller distorted, which reduced the pump’s capacity to supply fuel at steady pressure. Before a federal recall was announced in April 2020, hundreds of thousands of complaints revealed the trend.
| Honda Fuel Pump Class Action Settlement — Key Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Lead Plaintiff | Tucker Oliver |
| Defendants | American Honda Motor Co. and Denso International America Inc. |
| Court | U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama |
| Case Number | 5:20-cv-00666 |
| Component at Issue | Denso-manufactured fuel pump with plastic impeller |
| Alleged Defect | Plastic impeller warping under normal use |
| Reported Symptoms | Hesitation, stalling, failure to start |
| Initial Recall | April 2020 |
| Vehicles Previously Recalled | About 3.2 million |
| Additional Vehicles Covered | Roughly 3 million more |
| Total Class Size | Approximately 6.2 million U.S. owners and lessees |
| Warranty Extension | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Late-Coverage Window | 90 days after final approval |
| Reimbursement Available | Yes, for prior out-of-pocket repairs |
| Reference Resource | NHTSA recall portal |
Shortly after that recall, Tucker Oliver filed the case, claiming Honda was aware of the flaw and proceeded to sell cars with the defective pumps. In the end, the case was combined with other cases of a similar nature in the Northern District of Alabama U.S. District Court.
After six years, plaintiffs and Honda have reached a proposed class action settlement that, if accepted, would change coverage for about 6.2 million Honda cars in the US, including about 3.2 million that were already covered by the initial recall and about 3 million more that weren’t.
Compared to typical automotive class action settlements, the settlement’s structure is more substantial. Compared to the typical powertrain warranty that most owners have on their cars, Honda would extend the warranty coverage for the impacted fuel pumps to 15 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Older car owners have a limited but significant window to have their pumps updated at no cost because vehicles that already above those limits would still be covered under warranty for ninety days following final approval. A one-year guarantee would be included with replacement pumps installed during that time, covering the uncommon event of a defective replacement.
The agreement contains a very helpful clause that is absent from the majority of vehicle settlements. Class members whose automobiles require time at the dealership for fuel pump repairs will be eligible for free loaner cars from Honda. That particular feature is more important than it seems. Fuel pump replacements can require a full day or more, and historically, one of the unstated costs that owners have quietly accepted is the rental charges incurred during repairs.
In order to account for the significant portion of owners who paid for repairs themselves rather than waiting for the warranty extension, class members will also be eligible for reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs associated with fuel pump repairs performed prior to final approval.
It is important to consider the larger industry background. Similar agreements have been made with Mazda and Toyota over the identical gasoline pumps made by Denso. A class action lawsuit has been filed against Hyundai and Kia for claimed fuel system flaws.
As this lawsuit develops, it seems as though almost all Japanese automakers that used the same supplier in the late 2010s were affected by the initial Denso pump problem. Approximately six million American drivers now have a better way to address a flaw they might not have known their car still had thanks to the Honda settlement, which is pending final approval.
