— Honda 3.5-liter V6 engine problems have caused a lawsuit which alleges a recall and other actions by Honda have not repaired several Acura and Honda models.
The class action includes these vehicles equipped with 3.5L V6 engines.
- 2014-2020 Acura RLX
- 2015-2020 Acura TLX
- 2016-2020 and 2022-present Acura MDX
- 2016-2022 Honda Pilot
- 2018-present Honda Odyssey
- 2019-2025 Honda Passport
- 2017-present Honda Ridgeline
According to the lawsuit, the engines prematurely wear down and damage occurs to the connecting rods, crankshaft, pistons and bearings. The result is complete engine failure.
The owner who filed the class action complains the 3.5L engine problems cause engine noise, misfires, hesitation when accelerating, power issues and stalled engines. The plaintiff also contends an engine fire is possible.
The plaintiff claims the Honda V6 engine should last for at least 200,000 miles, but her Honda Pilot engine failed at 76,420 miles.
The lawsuit was filed by Ohio plaintiff Savannah Messenger who purchased a used 2016 Honda Pilot in August 2024. She complains the 3.5L engine began making noise and a dealer found metal debris in the oil pan. The Pilot was out of warranty and she was quoted a price of $11,874 to replace the V6 engine.
She tried to convince Honda to replace the 3.5L engine but the request was denied, so she purchased a rebuilt engine for $2,400 and had a third-party facility install the engine.
The plaintiff complains Honda refuses to honor its warranties and the engine problems have supposedly caused the vehicles to lose value.
Honda has purportedly known about the 3.5-liter V6 engine problems since 2015, and in November 2023 a recall was issued for more than 200,000 vehicles.
According to Honda's engine recall:
"During production of the crankshaft, due to improper settings of equipment used to manufacture the engine crankshaft, the crank pin was improperly ground, resulting in crank pins with a crown or convex shape that are out of specification."
But the class action lawsuit argues the recall didn't solve the engine problems.
"However, the recall was limited in scope and failed to address the underlying Defect present in all Class Vehicles. The recall did not address the underlying design and manufacturing defects relating to Rotating Assembly and/or excessive operating or idling temperatures, leaving many Class Vehicles without an adequate solution to the dangerous Defect." — Honda 3.5L lawsuit
The lawsuit also references an August 2025 investigation opened by the government to look into Honda engine problems in Acura and Honda vehicles that were not included in the 2023 recall.
The Honda 3.5L engine class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Savannah Messenger v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Blood Hurst & O'Reardon, LLP, and Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.
