You are on a call, or following the navigation, and the speakers let out a bang. Then another one. It happens at random, it is loud enough to make you flinch in traffic, and the dealer has already had the vehicle in once and handed it back the same. That is the Honda infotainment popping noise, and it has been the subject of class action litigation since 2019.
Honda speakers are making popping and crackling noises because of alleged defects in the infotainment systems fitted to 2020 and newer Honda models. According to the Honda infotainment lawsuit, these intermittent and unpredictable noises interrupt systems drivers rely on: navigation, audio, video, hands-free calling and the back-up sensor system, all of which use audio cues.
Honda built a new infotainment system on a modified Android operating system, phasing out the proprietary “HondaLink” platform used in earlier models. It was introduced in the 2018 Honda Odyssey and later fitted to the 2019 Honda Pilot and 2019 Honda Passport. As it spread across the line-up, Honda faced multiple class actions claiming the system was defective.
As it turns out, our Honda lemon law client was not the only one reporting popping noises from the speaker of his 2020 Honda Pilot. The lawsuit alleges that a defect in Honda’s infotainment systems produces an “intermittent, unpredictable, and loud popping and/or crackling noise from the speakers” of certain 2020 or newer models, among other faults.
If your infotainment system is malfunctioning in a 2020 or newer Honda Pilot, Passport or Odyssey, you may be inside one or more class actions. That is worth knowing before you decide what to do next, because being in a class can affect what you are able to claim on your own.
Honda Infotainment Defect: Affected Vehicles
The Honda infotainment popping noise lawsuit, Fausto v. American Honda Motor Co., filed in August 2024, represents past and present owners of these Honda vehicles:
- 2020–2022 Honda Pilot, except the LX
- 2020 Honda Passport, except the Sport
- 2021–2022 Honda Passport
- 2020–2022 Honda Odyssey
The 2020 to 2022 Honda Pilot LX and the 2020 Honda Passport Sport are not included in that lawsuit.
It is brought on behalf of Ohio owners and lessees. Honda moved to dismiss it in January 2025, arguing that its rearview camera recall had already given owners a free and effective repair. California owners and lessees, and owners in other states, can and do experience the same recurring infotainment faults without being inside that particular case.
A different, earlier group of Honda and Acura vehicles was covered by infotainment lawsuits that have already been settled:
- 2018–2019 Honda Odyssey in Elite, EX, EX-L, EX-LNR and Touring trims
- 2019 Honda Pilot in 2EX-LNR, 2TRG, 2TRG 7P, 4Elite, 4EX, 4EX-L, 4EX-LNR, 4TRG and 4TRG 7P trims
- 2019 Honda Passport in 2EX-L, 2TRG, 4Elite, 4EX-L and 4TRG trims
- 2019–2020 Acura RDX
Being inside an existing class action or settlement can affect your ability to bring an individual auto defect claim for your Honda. If you are not sure which side of that line you are on, call us at 833-208-8181 and ask before you do anything else.
What causes the Honda infotainment popping noise defect?
Honda’s technical service bulletins attribute the popping or crackling noise and audio cuts to loose connections in the bus network of the Media Oriented System Transport (MOST). Honda instructed its dealers to install the FAKRA connector set and the MOST service cords.
Through its TSBs, Honda instructed the dealership technicians to ensure the harness is routed correctly to prevent connection issues. If a connector was damaged, Honda recommended that the entire harness be replaced.
The Honda infotainment lawsuit claims that these repairs do not work and that Honda dealerships merely replace the components with equally defective parts. As a result, the crackling or popping noise issue persists.
How has Honda tried to fix the infotainment problems?
Honda issued several technical service bulletins (TSBs) to its dealerships with instructions on addressing the infotainment popping or crackling noise.
Honda issued a “ServiceNews Articles” for 2018–2019 Honda Odyssey, 2019 Pilot and 2019 Passport vehicles titled “Popping or Crackling from the Speakers? Check the MOST Bus Network.” It said the popping or crackling noises were caused by a connection issue in the MOST bus network and that most reported cases happened after a previous repair was made to the system.
Honda later issued TSB 20-058, which stated that “there is a loose connection in the MOST bus network” and instructed dealers to install the FAKRA connector set and the MOST service cords. This TSB was revised several times to include extra repair instructions and include all 2019-2021 Honda Passport and Honda Pilot vehicles. It referenced a warranty extension that was announced for certain 2018–2020 Odyssey, 2019–2020 Passport, and 2019–2020 Pilot to 5 years or 60,000 miles from the purchase date.
Honda TSB 21-013 instructs dealerships to respond to reports of popping or crackling noises from the speakers by installing the FAKRA connector set and the MOST service cords. It mentions a warranty extension for 2018–2020 Honda Odyssey vehicles to 5 years or 60,000 miles from the purchase date, only applicable to MOST bus network connector issues. This TSB was later revised to advise installing the FAKRA connector set only.
What were the Honda infotainment lawsuit settlements?
Two of them, both approved around the turn of 2021 into 2022, and both are now closed to new claims.
The first, Conti v. American Honda Motor Co. in the Central District of California, alleged infotainment defects in 2018 to 2019 Honda Odyssey and 2019 Honda Pilot and Passport vehicles: frequent freezes, crashes, failures to boot or shut down, failures to connect to devices, parasitic battery draw and the crackling speakers. It received final approval in early January 2022. Honda extended the New Vehicle Limited Warranty on the affected systems from 3 years or 36,000 miles to 5 years or 60,000 miles from the original purchase or lease.
The second, Banh v. American Honda Motor Co., alleged software or hardware defects in the 2019 to 2020 Acura RDX infotainment system, broadly the same faults. It was approved around the turn of 2021 into 2022 and added two years or 24,000 miles of coverage for vehicles still within 6 years or 74,000 miles of original purchase or lease.
Both extensions have run out. The Honda extension is capped at 5 years or 60,000 miles from the in-service date, which for 2018 and 2019 vehicles expired between roughly 2022 and 2024. The Acura extension is capped at 6 years or 74,000 miles, which for 2019 and 2020 RDX vehicles has expired or is expiring now. The reimbursement claim windows in both settlements closed in early 2022. If you are reading this in 2026, neither settlement has anything left to file for.
Neither settlement covers the vehicles in the current Honda infotainment class action.
Has Honda issued a recall for the popping noise?
No, not for the noise itself. Honda did issue a recall in June 2023 covering roughly 1.2 million vehicles, NHTSA campaign 23V431000, but that recall is officially about the rearview camera image failing to appear on the screen. It covers:
- 2018–2023 Honda Odyssey
- 2019–2022 Honda Pilot
- 2019–2023 Honda Passport
The Acura RDX is not in that recall.
The recall attributed the missing camera image to a faulty MOST communication coaxial cable connector. According to technical service bulletin 23-047, the terminal was not manufactured correctly, which caused poor communication across the MOST bus network. Recall documents place the bad connection between the audio display unit and the vehicle cable connector.
That is the same MOST bus network named in the service bulletins Honda issued to address the popping noise. In other words, regulators required a fix for the camera symptom of the defect, not for the noise symptom, and owners report the crackling continuing after the recall work is done. That gap between “recall completed” and “problem solved” is exactly where a lemon law claim lives.
Honda’s Crackling Speakers Can’t Be Fixed? Here’s What To Do!
If your Honda speakers keep popping or crackling, take the vehicle to the nearest dealership for warranty repairs. If it is still inside the warranty period, the repair should be covered by the manufacturer. Every time you go in, keep the paperwork you are handed. Those documents, called work orders or repair orders, record the concern you reported, what the technician did and what it cost.
Those repair orders are the history of your vehicle, and they are what a claim is built from. Under the California Lemon Law, formally the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, your vehicle may be considered defective if a manufacturing issue that impacts its use, value or safety has not been remedied after a reasonable number of repair visits to the dealership. What counts as reasonable depends on the nature of the problem, which is why it is worth talking to a lemon law attorney about your specific situation rather than guessing at a number.
A practical note on this defect in particular. Because the popping and the camera fault share the same MOST bus network, a completed recall repair does not necessarily end the noise, and each further visit for the noise is another documented repair attempt. Ask the dealer to write the popping and crackling on the repair order in those words, every time.
If your vehicle still is not fixed after multiple repair visits, it is time to talk to a Honda lemon law attorney. Under the California Lemon Law you may be eligible for cash compensation, a replacement vehicle, or a repurchase of your vehicle at its initial purchase price rather than its depreciated current worth, calculated under the California Lemon Law’s buyback formula.
Both the representation and the initial consultation are free. We are only paid if you win, and our fees and costs are paid by the manufacturer as part of the final settlement.
Call our Honda lemon law attorneys at 833-208-8181 for a free consultation, read more common questions on our lemon law FAQ, or use the form below and a lemon law agent will reach out to you.
Lawsuit and settlement details on this page are drawn from the filed complaints published by ClassAction.org and from NHTSA recall and service bulletin records, reviewed in August 2026. Case posture changes; nothing here is a substitute for advice about your own vehicle.
Reviewed by Roger Kirnos, Managing Attorney, California State Bar No. 283163
