- A class action lawsuit suggests head gaskets are prone to failure.
- The plaintiffs allege Honda refused to repair or replace impacted engines.
- Impacted owners may notice white smoke from their exhaust.
Honda has long enjoyed a reputation for building dependable engines, but a new lawsuit in the United States suggests that some of its recent 1.5- and 2.0-liter four-cylinder models may be facing serious problems. The complaint claims these engines struggle to cope with high compression and heat, leading to overheating, head gasket failures, and other potentially costly issues.
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One of the central allegations is that the head gaskets in these four-cylinder engines are prone to cracking. If that happens, coolant can pool in the grooves of the cylinder head. According to the filing, a lack of coolant may then cause the engine to overheat, seize, or in extreme cases, catch fire.
Owners might also see white smoke from the exhaust, which could mean coolant is leaking into the pistons and burning off.
Read: These Honda Owners Got $7,500 For A Problem You Might Still Have
Another concern raised is that coolant mixing with engine oil can lead to corrosion of internal parts. The plaintiffs claim Honda has refused to repair or replace affected i-VTEC engines, even when the vehicles remain under warranty.
According to the class action, engines like those found in the listed vehicles are generally expected to remain reliable for at least 200,000 miles, something they say doesn’t apply here and theyr life is cut short.
Models named
Five vehicles appear in the lawsuit: the 2018-2022 Honda Accord, 2016-2022 Honda Civic, 2017-2022 Honda CR-V, 2021-2022 Acura RDX, and 2019-2022 Acura TLX. Six plaintiffs are named in the case, five of whom have owned 2018 or 2019 Accord models, while one plaintiff has owned a 2018 Honda CR-V Touring.
Honda’s Engine Woes
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The plaintiffs are suing Honda for breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, and violations of numerous consumer protection laws. In addition to seeking a jury trial, they are after damages, fees, and costs.
This isn’t the first time the Japanese brand’s 1.5-liter i-VTEC engines have been named in a class action. In late 2024, a lawsuit filed in California alleged the engines suffer from inadequate sealing and cooling, potentially causing coolant to leak into the engine, contaminate the oil, and cause overheating and a loss of power.
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