Hondata CVT Failure

Teklonn

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I installed the Hondata flashpro about 2 months ago and the CVT went out the other day and honda is telling me they won't replace the transmission because of it. Is this legal under the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act and should I seek legal advice? It's like $5 to replace the transmission
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You should complete @gtman's tuning survey if you haven't already.

Sorry to hear about your trans but you're on the hook. They're fully within rights to deny you a warranty claim. It'll be cheaper to get a new transmission than to fight it.
 
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Teklonn

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You should complete @gtman's tuning survey if you haven't already.

Sorry to hear about your trans but you're on the hook. They're fully within rights to deny you a warranty claim. It'll be cheaper to get a new transmission than to fight it.
But wouldn't they have to prove that it was the modification that is what caused the failure. I had this for less than a month so it was going to fail no matter what.
 

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But wouldn't they have to prove that it was the modification that is what caused the failure. I had this for less than a month so it was going to fail no matter what.
People love to throw around the MM act, it doesn't give you carte blanche to do whatever you want to your car. The main point of the act is so manufacturers can't force you to use OEM parts for replacement and can't deny you warranty coverage for using aftermarket parts.

The warranty applied to the vehicle as left the factory. You modified it beyond factory specs. Its possible the CVT was gonna go anyway, its possible it would have operated for years at stock level but always a borderline performer. Its impossible to say.

End of the day, they blame the tune. You say they have to prove the tune caused it. I say they're a billion dollar company and if you want to fight them, they'll let you take it to court and bury you in legal fees.
 
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Teklonn

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People love to throw around the MM act, it doesn't give you carte blanche to do whatever you want to your car. The main point of the act is so manufacturers can't force you to use OEM parts for replacement and can't deny you warranty coverage for using aftermarket parts.

The warranty applied to the vehicle as left the factory. You modified it beyond factory specs. Its possible the CVT was gonna go anyway, its possible it would have operated for years at stock level but always a borderline performer. Its impossible to say.

End of the day, they blame the tune. You say they have to prove the tune caused it. I say they're a billion dollar company and if you want to fight them, they'll let you take it to court and bury you in legal fees.
Ok, any idea what I can do at this point? I still owe 16k on the car and it's $5k to replace it. The dealership I bought it from also has a powertrain warranty but it's not a Honda dealership
 


TheCanadian

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You modified the powertrain and sent more power through the CVT - power it is not engineered to handle. 0 change you have a warranty claim. I'd look for a used transmission and a private shop to have it installed if dealer is charging too much.

I don't mean to sound rude....but come on.
 

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Ok, any idea what I can do at this point? I still owe 16k on the car and it's $5k to replace it. The dealership I bought it from also has a powertrain warranty but it's not a Honda dealership
buy a used CVT and find an affordable shop to install it... you have no play here to try and get anyone to cover the costs of replacing the trans.
 

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Once you tune, if you have a drivetrain issue (and the dealer knows you're tuned), warranty no longer is in effect. Yes, some people have had things replaced under warranty while tuned but they were extremely lucky.

I'm just curious about something and hopefully you can be upfront about this. What year and model do you have? Did you purchase it new? What mods? Which tune?

These tuned CVT failures are fairly rare so I have to ask, did you ever abuse the car? For example, launching it. And yes, it's possible your CVT was defective from the factory, but tuning would negate warranty.

Having said that, sorry this happened. The CVT has actually been a strong point in these cars for the most part.
 
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Teklonn

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Once you tune, if you have a drivetrain issue (and the dealer knows you're tuned), warranty no longer is in effect. Yes, some people have had things replaced under warranty while tuned but they were extremely lucky.

I'm just curious about something and hopefully you can be upfront about this. What year and model do you have? Did you purchase it new? What mods? Which tune?

These tuned CVT failures are fairly rare so I have to ask, did you ever abuse the car? For example, launching it. And yes, it's possible your CVT was defective from the factory, but tuning would negate warranty.

Having said that, sorry this happened. The CVT has actually been a strong point in these cars for the most part.
It's a 2017 Honda Civic Sport. I didn't abuse it at all. Had it for 7 months (1 month with the flashpro)
 

gtman

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So you bought it used. The reason I asked is because it's possible the previous owner abused the car and maybe (and unfortunately) weakened the CVT before you ever even drove it.
 


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OP, what area do you live in? coupe, hb or sedan?
 

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People love to throw around the MM act, it doesn't give you carte blanche to do whatever you want to your car. The main point of the act is so manufacturers can't force you to use OEM parts for replacement and can't deny you warranty coverage for using aftermarket parts.

The warranty applied to the vehicle as left the factory. You modified it beyond factory specs. Its possible the CVT was gonna go anyway, its possible it would have operated for years at stock level but always a borderline performer. Its impossible to say.

End of the day, they blame the tune. You say they have to prove the tune caused it. I say they're a billion dollar company and if you want to fight them, they'll let you take it to court and bury you in legal fees.
Precisely.
Magnuson-Moss, among several things, addresses product warranty, and eliminated manufacturer "tie" regarding common maintenance items and general parts.
Once you buy and significantly change the item beyond what the manufacturer developed (higher performance mods, chopping the top to make a convertible, etc), you're SOL.
And, they're likely only burdened to show the mod presence. As in...
We don't make a convertible Gen X Civic.
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