Honda and Acura are not on California's list of manufacturers that opted into the 2025 lemon law procedures. That one fact shapes a Honda claim more than most owners realize. As of October 2026, the pre-suit notice, early mediation track and shorter filing limits from Assembly Bill 1755 generally do not apply to Honda, and the older Song-Beverly rules do.
The core law is the same as for any brand. If Honda can't fix a defect covered by its warranty after a reasonable number of attempts, it may have to repurchase or replace the car (California lemon law basics). Most of what follows applies to Acura too, since American Honda Motor Co. sells both brands.
Honda and Acura warranty coverage
| Coverage | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honda New Vehicle Limited Warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles | Includes the 12-volt battery |
| Honda Powertrain Limited Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | Engine, transmission and drivetrain |
| Seat belts | 15 years/150,000 miles | Belts that fail to work properly |
| Rust perforation | 5 years, no mileage limit | Body panels that rust from the inside out |
| Hybrid powertrain | Varies by model | Listed in the Emissions Warranty Parts List for your car |
| Acura New Vehicle Limited Warranty | 4 years/50,000 miles | 2026 Acura booklet |
| Acura Powertrain Limited Warranty | 6 years/70,000 miles | 2026 Acura booklet |
Source: Honda's 2026 warranty booklet and the 2026 Acura warranty booklet.
For hybrids, Honda's 2025 hybrid booklet listed 8 years/100,000 miles of capacity coverage for greater-than-normal high-voltage battery degradation, and 10 years/150,000 miles of defects coverage on that battery for certain California-certified Super Ultra Low Emission models. The 2026 booklet points to the parts list in the back for hybrid terms, so check yours.
Lemon law protection lasts as long as the warranty that covers the defect. Honda's warranty starts on the earliest of three dates: delivery to the first buyer, the start of a lease, or the first day the car was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle. A demonstrator sold with a new-car warranty can still qualify under the lemon law, but its 3-year/36,000-mile clock may have started before you signed. Ask the dealer to confirm the warranty start date in writing.
How Honda handles disputes in California
Honda's booklet asks owners to go first to the dealer and then to Honda Automobile Customer Service (Mail Stop CHI-5, 1919 Torrance Boulevard, Torrance, CA 90501-2746, 1-800-999-1009) with the dealer names and the date, mileage and reason for each visit. After that it points to the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS), at 877-545-0055. In California, NCDS operates as the California Dispute Settlement Program (CDSP), which the Department of Consumer Affairs lists as the certified program for Honda and Acura.
The program is free. Decisions generally come within 40 days (47 if you didn't contact Honda first), and a decision binds Honda only if you accept it. Honda's booklet says it does not require you to file with NCDS before formal litigation. Under California's statute, though, using a certified program first still matters if you want to rely on the 18-month/18,000-mile presumption and Honda told you about the program in writing. The booklet's lemon law section also notes that some states require you to notify the manufacturer, and it lists Honda Automobile Customer Service as the contact. Send anything in a way you can prove.
Then there is the arbitration agreement. Honda's 2026 booklet, like Acura's, says disputes go to a single arbitrator through the American Arbitration Association after a written notice to Honda's Office of the General Counsel and a 60-day informal period, and it allows an opt-out by letter within 30 days of delivery. How that clause plays out in a California lemon law case is unsettled, so keep the booklet and any opt-out letter.
Honda, Acura and the 2025 rule changes
As of October 2026, neither American Honda nor Acura appears on the DCA list of manufacturers that opted into AB 1755. For a Honda or Acura claim, that generally means no required pre-suit notice under Code of Civil Procedure section 871.24, no AB 1755 early-mediation track, and none of the AB 1755 changes to how a buyback is calculated. The traditional rules govern instead, including the four-year limitations rule in Commercial Code section 2725, which often runs from when the breach was or should have been discovered. When that clock started on your car is a fact question, and the answer can be earlier than you expect (time limits explained).
The list can change. Manufacturers elect for five-year periods, and the DCA republishes the list by December 15 each year, so check our tracker of the 2025 changes before relying on this.
What your Honda repair orders should show
California requires every warranty work order or repair invoice to carry a printed statement in 10-point bold type (Civil Code section 1793.1). It explains that the warranty period is extended by the number of whole days the product was out of your hands for warranty repairs, and that if a defect exists within the warranty period, the warranty won't expire until it has been fixed. Look for it on the front or back of your Honda repair orders.
The rest is yours to check before you leave the service desk:
- your complaint in your own words, with the date and mileage in
- the technician's findings and the repair, or a note that no problem was found
- the date and mileage out, which show how many days the car was down
- any part numbers or technical service bulletins the dealer cites
Ask for a printed copy at every visit, including visits where the dealer says it could not duplicate the problem. Those visits can still matter because they show the car was brought in for the defect (repair attempts).
Defect categories that show up in claims
Across all brands, lemon law repair histories tend to center on the same systems: engines that stall or lose power, transmissions that slip or shift hard, steering and brake complaints, infotainment and camera failures, driver-assistance faults, electrical problems and warning lights, hybrid battery and charging issues, A/C failures and water leaks. Any of them can matter if it substantially impairs the car's use, value or safety and keeps returning after repairs. None of them, on its own, means a particular Honda qualifies.
Recent Honda and Acura recalls
Recall campaigns are how manufacturers fix safety defects. A recall does not mean a car qualifies for a buyback, and whether a recall visit counts toward a claim depends on the facts. Three recent Honda campaigns from NHTSA's records:
- NHTSA recall 24V-744 covers 1,693,199 vehicles, including certain 2022-2025 Civic, 2023-2025 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid and HR-V, and Acura Integra models. The steering gearbox may have been made incorrectly, causing excess internal friction and difficulty steering. Dealers replace the worm gear spring and add or redistribute grease as needed.
- NHTSA recall 24V-763 covers certain 2023-2024 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2023-2025 CR-V Hybrid, and 2025 Civic and Civic Hybrid vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may crack and leak fuel. Dealers inspect the pump and replace it as needed.
- NHTSA recall 25V-031 covers certain 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type S and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type S vehicles. A software error in the fuel injection control unit may cause an engine stall or loss of power. Dealers reprogram the software.
Run your VIN through NHTSA's recall search before your next service visit.
What to do next
If your Honda or Acura has been back for the same problem more than once, put the repair orders in date order and add up the days it sat at the dealer. Then try the lemon law checker or request a free case review. Attorney Sam Setyan speaks English, Spanish and Armenian.
Updated October 2, 2026
Common questions
Honda didn't opt into AB 1755. Is that good or bad for my claim?
Neither, exactly. As of October 2026 it means the older Song-Beverly framework governs a Honda claim: no required pre-suit notice under Code of Civil Procedure section 871.24 and none of the AB 1755 changes to the buyback math, but also no early-mediation track. Deadlines still apply and depend on the facts of your car.
Do I need to use CDSP before suing Honda?
No. Honda's own booklet says it does not require an NCDS claim before formal litigation, and California law does not require arbitration before you hire a lawyer or sue. Using the certified program first matters mainly if you want the benefit of the lemon law presumption and Honda told you about the program in writing.
I bought a Honda demonstrator. Can it qualify?
It can, if it was sold with Honda's new-car warranty. California's definition of a new motor vehicle includes demonstrators and dealer-owned cars sold that way. Honda's warranty may have started on the day the car was first used as a demonstrator, so the coverage left at your purchase may be less than 3 years/36,000 miles.
Is an Acura claim different from a Honda claim?
The process is nearly the same. Acura vehicles are also sold by American Honda, CDSP is the certified program for both, and as of October 2026 neither brand is on the opt-in list. The warranty is longer: 4 years/50,000 miles of basic coverage and 6 years/70,000 miles on the powertrain for 2026 models.