Toyota Highlander & Lexus Hybrid SUV Class Action Lawsuit

A federal class action lawsuit claims Toyota actively concealed a dangerous safety defect it it’s 2006 and 2007 Highlander HV and Lexus RX400h models that causes the hybrid SUVs to suddenly lose all electric and motor power while they’re being driven.

According to the Toyota hybrid SUV class action lawsuit, the automaker has known since at least 2008 that its 2006 and 2007 Highlander HV and Lexus RX400h vehicles have a faulty inverter assembly that fails, causing the vehicles to suddenly lose power during operation.

“Toyota has known about this defect for many years and redesigned the defective component in 2008 to correct the problem. Yet instead of conducting a timely recall, Toyota chose to hide the problem from the public, as it has done with numerous other safety defects in Toyota vehicles,” the class action lawsuit states.

“Toyota’s decision to conceal the dangerous defect in its hybrid SUVs is part of a pattern and practice of misconduct and blatant disregard for the safety of both its customers and other drivers who share the road with unsafe Toyota vehicles.”

The Highlander HV and Lexus RX400h class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of all U.S. citizens who currently own or lease a 2007 Toyota Highlander HV or Lexus RX400h, or previously owned or leased one of these vehicles, that experienced a failure of the inverter assembly and paid all or some of the cost to repair or replace the inverter assembly.

It is seeking class certification, restitution, an injunction requiring Toyota to repair or replace the defective inverter assembly in all class vehicles, and more.

A copy of the Toyota Hybrid SUV Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.

 

The case is Elana Thalberg v. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., Case No. 11-cv-09070, U.S. District Court, Central District of California.