Honda Fuel Pumps Settlement

Answer:

A court authorized this Notice because you have a right to know about a proposed Settlement of a class action lawsuit and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to give final approval to the Settlement. The name of the lawsuit is Oliver v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., No. 5:20-cv-00666-MHH (N.D. Ala.). The defendants are American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (“Honda”) and Denso International America, Inc. (“Denso”) (together, “Defendants”). You are NOT being sued. This Notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, and your legal rights. The Court still has to decide whether to finally approve the Settlement. Please be patient and check this website for updates. Please do not call the Judge or Clerk of Court.

Answer:

This class action lawsuit alleges that certain Honda and Acura vehicles are equipped with defective low-pressure fuel pumps manufactured by Denso. The lawsuit pursues claims for alleged violations of various state consumer protection statutes, strict liability, and breach of warranty, among other claims. You can read the operative complaint on here. Honda and Denso deny that they have violated any law and deny that they engaged in any wrongdoing. The parties agreed to resolve this lawsuit. This Settlement does not involve claims of personal injury, wrongful death, or actual physical property damage arising from the Covered Vehicles.

Answer:

On May 11, 2020, Plaintiff Tucker Oliver filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, captioned Oliver v. Honda Motor Co. Ltd., et al., No. 5:20-cv-00666-MHH (N.D.AL.) (“Oliver”), asserting claims related to recalls of certain Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with low- pressure fuel pumps manufactured by Denso.

On June 10 and September 21, 2020, two class actions were filed in other federal courts making allegations substantially similar to those in Oliver. These other cases were, respectively, Cummings v. Honda Motor Co. Ltd., et al., No. 2:20-cv-13000-BRM-JAD (D.N.J.) (“Cummings”), and Booker et al. v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., No. 2:20-cv-05166-SVW (C.D. Cal.) (“Booker”). On October 20, 2020, Booker was stayed pending resolution of this lawsuit. On December 23, 2020, Cummings was transferred to the Northern District of Alabama. On Plaintiffs’ motion, the court consolidated Oliver and Cummings on February 17, 2021.

On May 3, 2021, Plaintiffs filed their Consolidated Amended Complaint (“CAC”). The CAC was brought by twelve (12) Plaintiffs on behalf of a nationwide class alleging negligent recall, fraudulent concealment/omission, breach of contract, strict product liability, and unjust enrichment, among other claims, and individual state classes for alleged violations of consumer protection statutes and breaches of implied warranty.

On June 15, 2021, Honda and Denso filed motions to dismiss the CAC, which the court granted in part and denied in part on March 15, 2023.

On August 12, 2021, Denso Corporation was dismissed without prejudice. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. was dismissed without prejudice on August 13, 2021.

On June 16, 2023, Plaintiffs filed their Third Consolidated Amended Complaint (“TCAC”), removing claims that were dismissed by the court. On July 28, 2023, Honda and Denso filed motions to dismiss the TCAC, which the court denied without prejudice to raising the same arguments at summary judgment, on September 24, 2024. Denso and Honda filed their answers to the TCAC on October 29 and October 30, 2024, respectively.

The Parties engaged in nearly two years of discovery in this lawsuit. “Discovery” refers to the process for the parties to exchange information and evidence concerning the issues in the lawsuit. During that time, Honda and Denso produced nearly 45,000 documents, which included engineering and design documents, warranty and field data, and materials relating to the development, testing, and implementation of the recall fix. With the assistance of automotive experts, Plaintiffs’ counsel reviewed and analyzed these documents, and also took the depositions of Honda and Denso engineers. Additionally, vehicles belonging to three Plaintiffs were inspected by experts. Defendants also took the depositions of nine Plaintiffs.

On March 14, 2025, April 21, 2025, August 27, 2025, and, January 13, 2026, the parties participated in mediation sessions before an experienced neutral to negotiate the terms of a Settlement Agreement.

Answer:

Various Honda and Acura vehicles equipped with certain low-pressure Denso fuel pumps sold or leased in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico (“Covered Vehicles”) are included in the Settlement. The Covered Vehicles include the vehicles that were recalled in Honda’s Recalls 20V-314, 21V-215, and 23V-858, and additional vehicles that were not previously recalled. A VIN-lookup tool is available here to determine if your vehicle is a Covered Vehicle.

Answer:

In a class action, people called “Class Representatives” sue on behalf of other people who have similar legal claims. All of these people together are the “Class” or “Class Members”. The Court resolves the issues for all Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves from the Class.

Answer:

The parties in this lawsuit agreed to a settlement to avoid the cost and risk of continuing the lawsuit, including a potential trial, and so that the Class Members can get benefits, in exchange for releasing Honda and Denso from liability. The Settlement does not mean that Honda or Denso broke any laws or did anything wrong, and the Court did not decide which side was right. This Settlement has been preliminarily approved by the court, which authorized the issuance of this Notice. The Class Representatives and the lawyers representing them believe that the Settlement is in the best interests of all Class Members.

Answer:

You are a Class Member if you are a person or a legal entity who, at any time as of the Preliminary Approval Order, own or owned, purchase(d) or lease(d) Covered Vehicles in any of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.

Excluded from the Class are: (a) Honda, its officers, directors and employees; its affiliates and affiliates’ officers, directors and employees; its distributors and distributors’ officers, directors and employees; and Honda and Acura Dealers and Honda and Acura Dealers’ officers and directors; (b) Denso, its officers, directors and employees; its affiliates and affiliates’ officers, directors and employees; its distributors and distributors’ officers, directors and employees; (c) Plaintiffs’ Counsel; and (d) judicial officers and their immediate family members and associated court staff assigned to this lawsuit.

A VIN-lookup tool is available here to determine if your vehicle is a Covered Vehicle.

Answer:

If you are still not sure whether you are a member of the Class, you can contact the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel.

Answer:

If you are a Class Member, what you are eligible to receive depends on several factors. The Settlement benefits are outlined below. The Court still has to decide whether to finally approve the Settlement. We do not know if or when the court will do so or whether there will be any appeals that would have to be resolved in favor of the Settlement before certain benefits would be provided.

Please note that you may have to take action within certain deadlines to receive certain benefits, such as completing and submitting a claim form for reimbursement of eligible out-of-pocket expenses. If you do nothing, you may not receive certain benefits from the Settlement, and, as a Class Member, you will not be able to sue Honda or Denso about the issues in this lawsuit.

The following benefits are available to you under the Settlement:

Limited Warranty

Honda will provide warranty coverage for all low-pressure Denso fuel pumps in the Covered Vehicles, including those installed as part of a recall. The Limited Warranty will last for fifteen (15) years, measured from the In- Service Date of the Covered Vehicle, or up to 150,000 total miles, whichever comes first. For any Covered Vehicle that already exceeds fifteen (15) years or 150,000 total miles as of the Final Effective Date, the Limited Warranty will last for ninety (90) days from the Final Effective Date; provided, however, that fuel pumps installed during this ninety (90) day period will continue to be covered under Honda’s one (1) year genuine replacement parts warranty. A Class Member’s rights under the Limited Warranty are transferred with the Covered Vehicle. Salvaged Vehicles, inoperable vehicles, and vehicles with titles marked flood-damaged are not eligible for the Limited Warranty.

You do not need to submit a Claim Form to receive the Limited Warranty.

Loaner/Towing Program

Without cost to and upon request from Class Members who own or lease Covered Vehicles whose low-pressure Denso fuel pumps are being repaired or replaced pursuant to the Limited Warranty, Class Members who own or lease such Covered Vehicles are entitled to receive a complimentary Loaner Vehicle by Honda Dealers upon reasonable notice. In appropriate circumstances, where the Class Member has a reasonable need for a Loaner Vehicle similar to their Covered Vehicle, Honda, through its dealers, shall use good faith efforts to satisfy the request. Where the Class Member has a reasonable need, the Class Member may return the Loaner Vehicle up to 24 hours after the time they drop off their Covered Vehicle at the Honda Dealer, or 24 hours after they are informed by the Honda Dealer that the repair on their Covered Vehicle has been completed, whichever is later.

If the Covered Vehicle is inoperable or is exhibiting a dangerous condition related to the low-pressure fuel pump covered by the Limited Warranty, the Class Member will receive a complimentary tow to a Honda Dealer upon reasonable notice. The Class Member may contact a Honda Dealer to arrange for towing to the nearest Honda Dealer.

If a Class Member and/or subsequent purchaser/lessee of a Covered Vehicle is denied coverage for repairs (including parts and labor) or replacement of the low-pressure Denso fuel pumps under the Limited Warranty, the Class Member and/or subsequent purchaser/lessee can take the Covered Vehicle to another Honda Dealer. If the other Honda Dealer determines that the Covered Vehicle qualifies for repair under the Limited Warranty, the Class Member shall be provided those benefits as provided in the Settlement Agreement.

You do not need to submit a Claim Form to receive a loaner vehicle or a complimentary tow.

Out-of-Pocket Claims Reimbursement

Class Members may submit a Claim Form for previously paid out-of-pocket expenses incurred to repair or replace a Fuel Pump of Covered Vehicles that were not otherwise reimbursed and that were incurred before the Final Effective Date. Specifically, Class Members may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for: (i) rental vehicles; (ii) towing; and (iii) unreimbursed repairs or part replacements, including parts and labor and diagnostic fees related to or resulting from the low-pressure fuel pump.

Out-of-pocket expenses that are the result of damage, collision, and/or misuse/abuse will not be eligible for reimbursement. Vehicles where the title, prior to the date of the qualifying Fuel Pump repair, was transferred to a salvage yard, junkyard, wreckage facility, or similar entity, inoperable vehicles, and vehicles with titles marked flood-damaged are not eligible for this benefit.

The claim form is available at here. Class Members must submit claim forms and any supporting documentation postmarked by ninety (90) days after the Court issues the Final Order and Judgment, which will occur, if approved, after the Final Approval Hearing.

Answer:

If the Settlement becomes final, Class Members who do not exclude themselves from the Class will release Honda and Denso from liability and will not be able to sue Honda or Denso about the issues in this lawsuit, but will not be releasing any legal claims for personal injury, wrongful death or physical property damage (except to the low- pressure fuel pump in the Covered Vehicle itself) from the Covered Vehicle. The Settlement Agreement is available here. Section VII describes the released claims, so read it carefully. The full release section is included in the Appendix to this Notice. You can talk to one of the lawyers listed below for free or you can talk to your own lawyer at your own expense.

Answer:

You must mail a request for exclusion postmarked on or before January 16, 2027. The written request must include:

(i) The case name and number: Oliver v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., No. 5:20-cv-00666-MHH (N.D. Ala.);

(ii) Your name, current residential address, current mailing address (if different), telephone number, and email address;

(iii) An explanation of the basis upon which you allege to be a Class Member, including the make, model, year, and VIN(s) of the Covered Vehicle(s);

(iv) A request to be excluded from the Class; and

(v) Your dated, handwritten signature (an electronic signature or attorney’s signature is not sufficient).

You cannot ask to be excluded over the phone. You must mail your exclusion request to:

Oliver v. Honda Settlement Administrator

P.O. Box 2774

Portland, OR 97208-2774

The deadlines found in this Notice may be changed by the Court. Please check this website for updates.

Answer:

No. If you exclude yourself, you will not get Settlement benefits, you will not be bound by anything that happens in this lawsuit, and you cannot object to the Settlement.

Answer:

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up the right to sue Honda or Denso for the issues in this lawsuit. If you do not exclude yourself and the Settlement is finally approved, you will be bound from initiating or continuing any lawsuit or other proceeding against Honda or Denso about the issues in the lawsuit.

Answer:

Yes. The court has appointed lawyers to represent you and other Class Members. These lawyers are called “Class Counsel.” Class Counsel and their contact information are:

If you want to be represented by another lawyer, you may hire one to appear in court for you at your own expense.

Answer:

After the Parties reached final agreement on the substantive material terms of this Settlement, the Parties mediated the issue of reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, and individual Class Representative service awards, with the assistance of Hon. Gerald E. Rosen (ret.) with JAMS ADR, Inc., in two lengthy, in person sessions.  Following a series of continued negotiations between the Parties after the final in person session, on September 28, 2026, the Parties agreed that Class Counsel may make an application for an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses (“Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses”) in an amount not to exceed Sixteen Million Dollars ($16,000,000) and service awards of up to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) to each of the named Plaintiffs (“Class Representative Service Awards”).

Defendants will pay Attorneys’ Fee and Expenses to Plaintiffs’ Counsel and Class Representative Service Awards to named Plaintiffs separate and apart from any relief provided to the Settlement Class. Under no circumstances will Defendants’ payment of Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses, and Class Representative Service Awards reduce your Settlement benefits.

Class Counsel will apply to the Court for an order awarding: Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses of up to $16,000,000, and Class Representative Service Awards of up to $5,000 per Class Representative. The Court must approve the request for Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses and Class Representative Service Awards and may award amounts different than what Class Counsel seek.  Please check this website for updates.

Answer:

If you are a Class Member, and you do not exclude yourself from the Class, you can object to the Settlement if you do not like some part of it or all of it. You can give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it. You can also object to the request for Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses and Class Representative Service Awards.

To object, you must file electronically or mail to the Clerk of Court a written objection so that it is filed or postmarked no later than January 16, 2027, and copies must be mailed to the lawyers below.

Your objection must include:

If not electronically filed, objections must be mailed to:

With copies mailed to:

Answer:

Objecting is telling the court that you do not like something about the Settlement. However, you are still bound by the Settlement, including the releases in the Settlement. You can object to the Settlement only if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement. Excluding yourself (opting out) from the Settlement is telling the court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement. If you exclude yourself from the Settlement, you cannot object to the Settlement because it no longer affects you. If you exclude yourself, you are not bound by releases in the Settlement.

Answer:

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on February 18, 2027, at 2:00 p.m., at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse, 1729 5th Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama, 35203. At the hearing, the Court will consider whether to give final approval to the Settlement and grant Class Counsel’s motion for Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses and Class Representative Service Awards. If there are timely objections, the Court will consider them at this time. After the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement. We do not know how long these decisions will take.

Note: The date and time of the Final Approval Hearing are subject to change without further notice to the Class. The Court may also decide to hold the hearing via video conference or by telephone. You should check this website to confirm the date and time of the Final Approval Hearing have not changed.

Answer:

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. But you are welcome to come at your own expense. If you send an objection, you do not have to come to court to talk about it—but you can if you provide advance notice of your intention to appear (see below). As long as you filed a written objection with all of the required information by the deadline, the Court will consider it. You may also pay another lawyer to attend, but it is not required.

Answer:

You or your lawyer may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Final Approval Hearing. To do so, you must send a letter saying that it is your “Notice of Intent to Appear” in “Oliver v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., No. 5:20-cv-00666-MHH” to the following address so that it is postmarked no later than January 16, 2027:

Your request must include:

You or your lawyer must be present at the start of the Final Approval Hearing. You cannot speak at the hearing if you excluded yourself from the Class.

Answer:

You can get a copy of the Settlement Agreement and other documents here. You can also contact the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel.

Answer:

The Settlement will not be final unless and until the Court grants final approval of the Settlement at or after the Final Approval Hearing and after any appeals are resolved in favor of the Settlement. Please be patient and check this website for updates. Please do not call the Judge or Clerk of Court.