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An Acura HandsfreeLink settlement has been granted final approval by the judge after eight years in court.
Acura denies all the allegations in the HandsFreeLink class action but decided to settle after eight years of court battles.
The lawsuit alleges the batteries drain because the HandsFreeLink Bluetooth systems are defective and continue to run when the vehicles are shut off.
The Acura class action lawsuit alleges replacement batteries drain like the originals, and the defects also cause alternator failures.
Vehicle owners claim it can cost $1,000 to replace the HandsFreeLink unit. But the class action also alleges the replacement units are as defective as the original components.
When the class action was initially filed eight years ago, the plaintiffs claimed each Acura owner lost $2,100 because of the HandsfreeLink battery drain problems. This equaled more than $1.1 billion nationwide.
However, the final version of the settlement offers nothing close to that.
Acura HandsFreeLink Settlement (Final)
The HandsFreeLink settlement includes certain customers in only four states.
“If you purchased a 2004-2008 TL, 2005-2008 MDX, or 2007-2009 RDX Acura vehicle (“Settlement Class Vehicles”) in the states of California, Kansas, New York, and Washington before the vehicles reached 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever occurred first, you may be entitled to benefits under the Settlement.”
Some of the vehicles are 20 years old, but keep in mind the Acura settlement applies “before the vehicles reached 10 years or 120,000 miles.”
Acura customers who paid out-of-pocket to replace the HandsFreeLink unit due to confirmed “excessive parasitic drain” prior to the vehicle reaching 10 years or 120,000 miles from original purchase are eligible for HandsFreeLink replacement reimbursements of up to $500 for each replacement.
And a customer may be eligible for a $350 payment if the HandsFreeLink unit was disconnected from the system, “or there was simply indication that the HFL Unit suffered from excessive parasitic drain prior to the vehicle reaching 10 years or 120,000 miles from original purchase.”
A few vehicle owners objected to the requirement that customers must have purchased their vehicle before it was either 10 years old or had attained 120,000 miles. But the judge overruled the objectors and says the settlement is “fair and reasonable.”
Honda argued against the amount the plaintiff’s lawyers will receive considering it’s estimated the total maximum available benefits to Acura vehicle owners is only about $540,000.
But according to the approved settlement, lawyers representing the plaintiffs will receive $8,555,519.50 in attorney’s fees and $1,026,270.90 in litigation costs.
And for spending eight years in court, these Acura owners who filed the class action will receive $5,000 each: Lindsay Aberin, Jeff Aberin, Don Awtrey, Charles Burgess, John Kelly, and Joy Matza.
The Acura HandsFreeLink settlement was finalized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: Aberin, et al., v. American Honda Motor Company.
The plaintiffs are represented by Seeger Weiss LLP, and Carella Byrne Cecchi Brody Agnello, P.C.