Honda Must Pay $1.4 Million Jury Verdict in Engine Rattle Case

American Honda Motor Co. wasn’t entitled to a judgment as a matter of law or a new trial to avoid a $1.4 million jury verdict in a class action involving an engine rattle in its cars, a federal court in California ruled.

Two classes were certified in the suit over an alleged defective engine component—the variable timing control actuator—in Honda vehicles that caused a rattle. One class was for owners in California and the other for owners in Illinois, both of whom bought vehicles, containing the defective part, from authorized Honda dealers and paid out-of-pocket expenses to get it fixed. ...