Honda Passport Lemon Law

The Passport's most-discussed defect is its 9-speed automatic transmission. Owners report rough or delayed shifting, hard clunks and jerks when changing gears, loud noises during shifts, lurching, and even sudden losses of power. These complaints have been serious and widespread enough to drive class-action litigation over the transmission, and they are exactly the kind of drivability defect California's Lemon Law is meant to address.

Passport owners also report a broader set of problems. Air-conditioning failures — an A/C that gradually stops blowing cold — are a common and expensive complaint. Others report electrical and infotainment glitches, idle-stop and Honda Sensing features acting up, fuel-pump failures that can stall the engine, and recalls on certain years covering items such as brake master cylinder assembly and front seat weight sensors. Any of these can point to a vehicle that isn't right.

Under California's Lemon Law, you don't need a recall to have a claim. If your Passport has a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety, and the dealer can't fix it within a reasonable number of attempts — or it sits in the shop for an extended period — you may be entitled to a buyback, a replacement, or a cash settlement, with Honda paying your attorney fees.

A recall is not automatically a lemon — it's the manufacturer acknowledging a defect and offering a free repair. California's Lemon Law (the Song-Beverly Act) comes into play when a substantial defect can't be fixed after a reasonable number of attempts, or when your Passport has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days.

If your Honda Passport qualifies, you may be entitled to a buyback (a refund of what you've paid, minus a mileage offset), a replacement vehicle, or a cash-and-keep settlement — and Honda pays your attorney fees on a successful claim, so pursuing your case costs you nothing out of pocket.