Honda Beats Consumers’ Suit Claiming Cars with Defective Paint

Honda Motor Co. defeated class action claims it concealed automotive paint defects from its customers.

The car owners alleged that “the quality of a vehicle’s exterior paint is integral to a vehicle’s use and function and safety by preventing rust and corrosion,” but this allegation is conclusory and not plausible, Judge Otis D. Wright II said in his ruling Thursday. “Plaintiffs neither plead nor explain how ‘rust’ or ‘corrosion’ to the vehicle’s exterior relates to the central function,” he said, writing for the US District Court for the Central District of California.

Wright gave the consumers 21 of days to ...