Lawsuits Claim Honda Odometers Cheat Car Owners

[Breeze54]

Lawsuits Claim Honda Odometers Cheat Car Owners

Mar 13, 2007 2:08 pm US/Eastern

http://wbztv.com/seenon/local_story_072135812.html

(CBS News) NEW YORK-

How many miles you have on your car can affect everything from your warranty coverage and lease fees to your car's resale value.

Some automakers are being accused of cheating owners out of thousands of miles by designing cars with defective odometers.

Sharon McQuiston bought her Honda SUV for its high numbers in gas mileage, resale value and reliability. But she soon found that some of her Honda's numbers were running too high.

"The reputation of Honda is so, so great," she told CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann."I feel cheated in that, I'm being cheated out of miles that I haven't driven."

While McQuiston's odometer says she's driven 25,000 miles, she has really gone 500 miles less. Her car is one of millions of Hondas with faulty odometers that rack up miles too fast.

"They were accelerated, they registered more miles than the car actually traveled," attorney James Holmes said.

Holmes has tested the odometers in many Honda models and says on average, they run 2 percent fast. While that doesn't sound like much, it makes a big difference.
Holmes at JamesHolmesLaw.com.

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[MADem]

1. What.....bastards!!! NT

[high density]

2. 2% error?

That doesn't seem like much to me, though it obviously does add up if you're in a lease. Warranty-wise I don't know if it makes much difference. What are the chances of needing repair in this 2% hole between the "real" mileage and the displayed mileage near the end of the warranty period? I'd say it's pretty low, though I'm sure some people have been in that situation. I've read that decent dealers can be a bit flexible (+1,000 miles) with warranty service anyway.

So the only people who have "bought and paid for" miles that they "never received" are those who are really close to their lease mileage limits. The value of these miles recorded in error seems pretty negligible otherwise. Is there really a significant difference in the value of a car with 102,000 miles versus one with 100,000 miles?

[Breeze54]

3. My warranty ran out right after

I hit the mileage limit on a different auto I owned.

Or maybe it was just before. It was very close, as I remember.

If I owned or leased one of the above cars, I'd be peeved.

I actually do drive a Honda Civic model but I'm way past 110K in miles.

And mine is over ten years old. ;)

On edit:
It makes me wonder what other car companies are doing the same.... hmmmm

[mcscajun]

5. This would seem to hit lessees more than owners.

Particularly long-term owners (like me). By the time I finish with the Honda I bought last April, it'll have around 200,000+ miles on it. :) No one will care if the mileage is 200,000 or 204,000.

It'll be nice to have another 1,800 miles on the warranty, but with the way I drive, that'll last just a couple of months. Given the reliability of Hondas, I doubt it'll make any difference at all.

That said, it's nice to see someone checking these things and holding the manufacturers to account.

[Breeze54]

6. You put on 200,000+ miles in a year?

OMG!! What the hell are you doing? Sales?

I barely put 10k on my car a year!

[mcscajun]

8. Um. no. Not in a year. In 10 to 12.

My last car was a Saturn I bought in late 1994 and sold in early 2006; it had nearly 200,000 miles on it when I was done with it.

I plan to have this Honda about as long. :)

[ContraBass Black]

4. Sounds like a simple mistaketo me.

And Honda is reimbursing owners and extending warranties.

[Breeze54]

7. They knew about it. No mistakes.

And it wasn't until the lawsuit that they fessed up. ;)

[NJCher]

9. thanx

If I'm remembering correctly, I had an axle repair just outside the warranty. Maybe I'll be collecting $550, thanks to this post. And if in fact I do, a donation goes to DU in Breez54's name.



Cher