A group of angry customers filed a class action lawsuit against Honda because they say the company manufactured and sold vehicles with defective window mechanisms.

“The right passenger side window fell into the door of my 2002 Honda Odyssey LX in September 2011. It was a startling, loud sound that jolted me,” plaintiff Phyllis Grodzitsky of San Diego said. “I lost use of my Odyssey for two days and it cost over $400 to fix the window. I made a complaint to Honda. Honda said there is no recall for the window systems on my vehicle. I feel that arrogance by a large corporation in response to a safety issue is unacceptable in this day and age.”

The suit claims such a defect poses a hazard to drivers and passengers nationwide. The vehicles said to be affected  include Honda Odyssey (pictured above), Pilot, Element, Accord, CR-V, Civic and Acura MDX models from years 1994 to 2007.

According to the plaintiff’s lawyers, there is a defective piece of plastic that is meant to keep the windows in place while the window motor operates. Their claim suggests that piece of plastic breaks under normal operating conditions, causing the defect Grodzitsky described above.

The lawsuit is being filed against Honda by two disgruntled owners who apparently have gone through repeated repairs in an attempt to fix the same issue.

They may need a good bit of luck and patience to win this, though. Power windows in decade-old cars fail routinely and it’s not outrageous to think that after 10 years of weather and friction that such a part may fail. Honda has a crack-team of vicious lawyers who deal with cases like these as if they were insects.

Cases like these also rarely render significant compensation for the plaintiffs. A woman recently took Honda to small claims court over lower-than-expected mileage in her Civic hybrid. She chose that route because even when won, class action suits often offer little more than a coupon for cheaper repairs and minor monetary compensation.

We’ll keep an eye on the case and let you know how it progresses. What are your thoughts? Tell us below.

[Source: lieffcabraser.com]

The numbers are always changing and a new list of the Top 10 best-selling vehicles in history, compiled by 24/7 Wall St. has a new model on top.

There are some surprises on the list, but for the most part it all makes sense. Whether they’ve been in production for a long time or they’re reasonably priced worldwide, the top 10 best-selling cars of all time might not be the most exciting, but are clearly the most popular throughout history.

The Chevrolet Impala is the only GM vehicle on the list and has quite the history since hitting the market 54 years ago. Starting its life as a large two-door performance coupe, the Impala evolved into a versatile sedan. Or as we like to call it, a rental car. Ironically, it isn’t actually offered as a coupe anymore, which seems like a distant memory after 10 generations of upgrades.

In keeping up with the Corvette video we showed earlier today, we have  a Honda S2000 trying its hand at the drag strip.

Of course, with a little help from Real Street Performance, this S2000 really flies. Witness the car lift it’s front wheels at just about the 1:07 mark of the video.

The description of the video shows off the full range of the modifications, which interestingly enough retains its stock engine block.

Watch the whole clip right here.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

For decades, the design of the Honda NSX remained mostly untouched, save for a headlight/front-end refresh. But for the most part, the NSX was highly regarded as Japan’s answer to the Italian supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini, that is until Lexus introduced the LFA and Nissan made its GT-R available worldwide.

But now that we have seen the new Acura NSX Concept (Shown above) it appears that the Japanese automaker is getting back into the supercar game even though it won’t hit the market until 2015. Nonetheless, Honda found it fitting to give us a video looking back into the NSX’s past as we head towards its new future. The retrospective video highlights previous models such as the NSX-R, the 24 Heures de Le Mans version, some footage of the new NSX in Gran Turismo 5 and of course, the concept that we saw.

Though the powertrain could change by the time it is released, it’s widely believed that the new NSX will feature at least 400-hp with a Sports Hybrid SH-AWD powertrain.

Check out the video after the break.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

The star of the Honda booth at this year’s Geneva Motor Show will undoubtedly be the new NSX Concept. Unveiled as the Acura NSX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, it will be rebranded for display in other markets, like Europe.

But the mid-engine V6 hybrid drive Japanese exotic won’t be the only new product, with Honda also set to reveal the first of its Earth Dreams Technology engines – a new 1.6-liter diesel that will find its way under the hood of the European Civic. The new engine makes 120 hp at 4000 rpm and 221 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm, but perhaps its biggest advantage comes in its light weight, with Honda saying it will be the lightest engine in its class, weighing even less than a 1.6-liter gasoline engine. Honda has not announced any plans to offer this new diesel engine in North America.

With it’s Earth Dreams Technology lineup of engines Honda is aiming to reclaim leadership in the fuel economy race, offering not only the most fuel efficient engines, but also the most powerful.

In addition to these products, Honda will also showcase a prototype of the European CR-V, as well as the EV-STER electric sports car.

GALLERY: Honda NSX Concept

It appears as though Honda won’t let Toyota hog the spotlight in the GT300 class of the Super GT racing series.

Joining the Prius Hybrid race car will be a Honda CR-Z developed with M-TEC Co., Ltd. and will be campaigned by Team Mugen. The hybrid racer won’t, however, be competing until Round 4 of the Super GT Series.

Unfortunately not a lot of details have been released by Honda, other than confirmation that the race car will be a reality and will have a hybrid racing system. The development driver for the project will be Hideki Mutoh, who is known for competing in the IndyCar Series and the GT500 class of Super GT. We’re guessing it will be some time before photos of the finished project surface considering Round 4 of the Super GT 2012 schedule isn’t until July 30th, 2012.

GALLERY: Honda CR-Z GT300 Race Car

[Source: Jon Sibal]

Honda has recalled 347 Accords and Crosstours citing the possibility of a side curtain airbag failure.

In the event of a collision the side curtain airbags may fail to deploy, putting the vehicle occupants at higher risk of injury. Customers can bring their 2012 Accords and Crosstours into any Honda dealership and have their side curtain airbag system replaced for free. The recall is set to begin on February, 10th. Accord or Crosstour owners can contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 for more information.

Increasing motorsports exposure, Honda announced its plans to enter its newly redesigned European 2012 Honda Civic into the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

According to Honda CEO Takanobu Ito, this entry entails creating an all-new engine developed specifically for touring car competition. “We have made a decision to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic. We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge.” Developed alongside Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport, Honda’s new engine is a racing 1.6 liter, direct-injection, turbo 4-cylinder engine designed within FIA Super 2000 regulations.

Racing as a two car-team managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, the inaugural rounds for the new Civic will be held when the WTCC arrives to Asia, namely races in Japan, China, and Macau. Honda also intends to compete in every race in the 2013 season.

GALLERY: WTCC 2012 Honda Civic

Several months ago, we got wind of a somewhat unusual lawsuit between American Honda Motor Co and irate 2006 Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters.

Peters, a former LA attorney, believed that Honda negligently misled Civic Hybrid owners with fuel economy claims of 50 miles per gallon (the best mileage she claims she ever achieved was 42 mpg and following a software update, this dropped to around 30 mpg). When she got wind, that, in terms of a settlement for the issue, Honda was prepared to pay around $100 in rebate coupons towards the purchase of a new vehicle for Civic Hybrid customers, while it’s trial lawyers earned some $8.5 million, she filed suit.

Given her background, Peters chose to take the case to Small Claims Court, knowing full well that under California law, Honda would be unable to bring in a team of highly paid lawyers to defend its position.

Now, we’ve heard that Peters successfully won her court case and has been awarded damages of $9,867.19 (the maximum amount allowed in small claims court is $10,000). The outcome of this case could have a major impact on class action suits and cases handled through Small Claims Court, since it illustrates that well-informed plaintiffs have every chance of being vindicated in their disputes against large corporations.

However, despite winning her case, there are those who believe Peters might have a hard time collecting the money; Honda says it disagrees with the ruling that it negligently misled Peters over fuel economy claims and is now taking the case to the LA County Superior Court, where its highly paid legal team are permitted to challenge the Small Claims verdict.

Nonetheless, Peters says she isn’t done and wants other Civic Hybrid owners to file similar claims to her own, believing that, by facing multiple Small Claims suits in the state of California, Honda will have a multi-front legal battle on its hands, rendering it difficult if not impossible to mount a successful counter attack. Peters also says she’ll reactivate her state law license so she can represent other Civic Hybrid owners in court.

[Source: LA Times]

While many automakers are developing new transmissions with more and more gears, Honda is investing in a tried and tested transmission platform, the continuously variable transmission or CVT.

Honda announced yesterday that it will be investing $98 million at its Anna, Ohio, engine plant to build advanced pulley components for the automakers new CVT transmissions. These CVT transmissions will first debut in the 2013 Honda Accord and will also eventually find their way into CR-V as well as Civic. Paired with the new “Earth Dreams” 2.4 liter direct injection engine, the new CVT will help Honda’s midsize cars claim 10 percent better fuel economy compared to the current five-speed transmission.

This investment is in conjunction with a $120 million investment made last year into the Russells Point, Ohio transmission plant where the new CVTs will be produced starting in 2013. Honda said that Ohio is a very important production center for its North American operations having invested $500 million since November of 2010. ”For decades, our two Ohio powertrain plants have worked together to deliver advanced products for our customers,” said Hide Iwata, president and CEO of Honda of America Mfg., Inc. “The production of this new CVT technology puts the Buckeye State right in the middle of Honda’s global strategy.”

Honda is working hard to introduce a new line of engines and transmissions to make their product offerings more fuel efficient.

Honda has announced a recall in the United States for 206 Ridgeline trucks built from 2011 through 2012. This recall is to address a possible mismatch between the Ridgeline’s spare tire and the FMVSS mandated tire information placard installed on the vehicles’ driver-side doorjambs.

Honda Ridgeline trucks sold in the United States are fitted with a compact spare tire and, in some cases, placards may incorrectly indicate that the Ridgeline came with a full-sized spare tire instead. To solve this matter, Honda will either provide Ridgeline owners with a spare that will match the information provided on the vehicle’s placard or it will install a new placard that reflects the spare tire installed by the factory. While this issue may not seem like an urgent safety hazard, the recommended cold inflation pressure for the tire may not be correctly indicated.

No crashes or injuries have been reported due to spare tire failures but Honda’s recall encourages owners of all affected Ridgelines to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer when they receive a recall notification in the mail. Recalls notifications will begin to reach Ridgeline owners by mid-February 2012. An owner could also take the initiative by contacting www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, option 4.

With all the Super Bowl ads finding their way onto the Internet well ahead of the big game, we’ve already had our fair share of head scratchers, like the commercial from Audi, and humorous ones like Acura‘s NSX commercial starring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. And while we understand that most ads are designed to make us laugh or garner our attention, creative ones such as this Civic commercial is just flat out cool.

The description of the video by Honda puts it best, describing what Honda engineers went through when they came up with the design of the new Civic. From just the spark of an idea came the journey of building a vehicle, overcoming challenges until it culminates into the new Civic. Of course this commercial targets their European customers, which shows off the new European Honda Civic hatchback and is narrated by Garrison Keillor who is very popular in Honda’s British ads.

And for those that can really go way back, you’ll see the slight homage this commercial pays to the infamous “Cog” commercial from Honda, where an Accord was built from a single cog rolling down an incline. It’s subtle, but it’s those things that make us not want to push fast forward. Got what Audi? No vampires, no more vampires. Please.

Watch the ad after the break.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.