Welcome to the Information Website for the MacDougall v. American Honda Motor Company Class Action Lawsuit.

If You Purchased or Leased Certain 2012–2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles from American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (“American Honda”) or an authorized American Honda Motor Company dealership in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Florida, a Class Action Lawsuit May Affect Your Legal Rights.

A class action lawsuit was filed against American Honda Motor Co., Inc. alleging that American Honda manufactured 2012 Touring and Touring Elite Honda Odyssey vehicles (with VINs in the range of 5FNRL5H...CB053446 through 5FNRL5H...CB148157) (actual VINs are 17 characters with letters and numbers), 2013 Touring and Touring Elite Honda Odyssey vehicles, and 2014 to 2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles (collectively “Class Vehicles”) with a defective transmission prone to sudden, unexpected shaking and jerking, commonly referred to as “juddering” or “shuddering,” (alleged “Transmission Defect”) and that American Honda was aware at the time of sale that the transmissions in the Class Vehicles were defective and prone to the Transmission Defect. As a result, it is alleged Class Members overpaid for their Class Vehicles.

American Honda denies that the Transmissions are defective and denies liability to Plaintiffs or Class Members. The Court has not decided whether American Honda is liable but has decided to allow the lawsuit to proceed as a class action. There is no money or benefits that have been obtained for the Class, and there is no guarantee there will be in the future.

Judge Jesus G. Bernal of the United States District Court for the Central District of California is overseeing this lawsuit. The lawsuit is known as Dennis MacDougall, et al. v. American Honda Motor Company, Inc., and the case number is 8:17-cv-1079-JGB-(DFM).


You Could Be a Member of a Class Action. If you are a Class Member, your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act, so please read this information carefully.


Your Legal Rights and Options if you are a Class Member
Do Nothing and Automatically Be Part of the Class

You are automatically part of the Class if you satisfy any of the four Class definitions set forth in FAQ 5 on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Exclude Yourself by October 21, 2024

You may request to be excluded from the Class. This is also referred to as “opting out.” If you request to be excluded, you will not be part of the lawsuit and you will not be able to receive any money or benefits from any potential settlement or judgment. If you decide you do not want to participate in the class action lawsuit and you do not make a timely request for exclusion as described in this Notice, you will still be bound by any judgment.

Instructions for how to exclude yourself from the Class are set forth below and in FAQ 8 on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
How do I exclude myself from the Class?

To exclude yourself from the Class you must send a letter by mail saying that you want to be excluded from MacDougall v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, the year, make, model and vehicle identification number (“VIN”) of your Honda Odyssey and your signature. You must mail your exclusion request postmarked by October 21, 2024, to:

MacDougall v. American Honda Exclusions
P.O. Box 2447
Portland, OR 97208-2447

You can’t exclude yourself on the phone or by e-mail.

To be effective, your exclusion request must be postmarked no later than October 21, 2024.

If you timely ask to be excluded, you will not be legally bound by anything that happens in this lawsuit. You may be able to sue (or continue to sue) American Honda in the future.

If you do not request exclusion from the Class by October 21, 2024, and you fall within the definition of any one of the four Classes listed in FAQ 5 on the Frequently Asked Questions page, you will be legally bound by any final judgment or settlement in this class action lawsuit. If you wish to remain a Class Member, you are not required to do anything at this time.

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained on this website, in the short-form notice you may have received, and in the long form notice, available on the Important Documents page.

Current Status

The Court is allowing this class action case to proceed to a trial for a determination on the merits with respect to the specific legal claims allowed by the Court. A trial date has not been scheduled yet.

The deadline to Exclude Yourself, or opt out, from the lawsuit is October 21, 2024.


Important Dates
  • October 21, 2024
    Exclusion (Opt Out) Deadline