Sarah Mirando  |  August 18, 2012

Category: Closed Class Actions

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Toyota Rav 4 Class Action Settlement

The Toyota RAV4 class action settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit, entitled Milligan v. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., that alleges some 2001-2003 RAV4s equipped with automatic transmissions have experienced a “harsh shift condition.” When this occurs, the vehicle may suddenly not shift smoothly and/or it may exhibit harshness in shifting operations during driving. The “harsh shift condition” may be attributed to a malfunctioning Electronic Control Module (ECM).

Toyota denies wrongdoing but has agreed to establish a class action lawsuit settlement to resolve the litigation.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members of the Toyota RAV4 class action lawsuit settlement include all persons in the United States, including the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, who currently own or lease or formerly owned or leased a model year 2001 through 2003 Toyota RAV4 equipped with an automatic transmission. (Toyota previously mailed a notice regarding this issue to current owners as part of a separate Customer Support Program. However, this class action settlement expands that Customer Service Support Program to include prior owners and lessees.)

Potential Award

Class Members can receive the following benefits under the Toyota RAV4 settlement:

(1) Warranty Enhancement. Toyota will continue to provide a warranty enhancement to any Class Member, for a period of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the Class Vehicle’s in-service date, whichever occurs first, for a harsh shift condition and/or illumination of the check engine light with the following codes: P0750, P0753, P0755, P0758, and/or P1760.

(2) Reimbursement Under the Existing Customer Support Program. Toyota will continue to offer reimbursement to current owners pursuant to the existing Customer Support Program. The class action settlement will extend this reimbursement to prior owners.

(3) Reimbursement for Repair Costs. Class Members who paid for a repair or replacement of the ECM and/or automatic transmission for the specific condition covered by this settlement during the enhanced-warranty period will be reimbursed.

To submit a claim form for reimbursement, you must download a claim form at www.RAV4ECMSettlement.com and mail it, along with the required documentation, through December 31, 2014.

Class Members who fail to submit valid reimbursement claims during the Reimbursement Period will not receive a payment from the RAV4 ECM settlement.

Proof of Purchase

Repair receipts are required for reimbursement.

Claim Form Deadline

12/31/2014

Case Name

Milligan v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Case No. C09-05418 RS and Washington v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Case No. 110-cv-164200, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Final Hearing

12/1/2011 Final Approval was granted on Feb. 6, 2012

Settlement Website
Claims Administrator

Kurtzman Carson Consultants

(Continental U.S. Claims)
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota Customer Experience, WC 10
19001 S. Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90509

(Hawaii Claims)
Servco Automotive Customer Services
2850 Pukoloa St., Suite 202
Honolulu, HI 96819

(Puerto Rico Claims)
Toyota de Puerto Rico Corp.
P.O. Box 195467
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00919

Class Counsel
Jeffrey B. Cereghino
Michael Ram
Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski LLP
Beth E. Terrell
Terrell Marshall & Daudt PLLC
Steven Tindall
Rukin Hyland Doria & Tindall LLP
Jennie Lee Anderson
Andrus Anderson LLP
Defense Counsel
Eva M. Weiler
Frank C. Rothrock
Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP

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47 thoughts onToyota RAV 4 Transmission Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

  1. Elizabeth says:

    How do I learn my in service date? If my Rav is a 2003, and over the 150,000 miles do I have a chance?

  2. romel says:

    hi i have rav4 01, the transmission broke,we changed it, still the same, then, the mechanic told us it might be d computer,so my husband did his research about it, and he saw that theres a recall on rav4 01-03, we called our dealer, & they send they send notice, but we didnt receive it, they said, they cant help us, coz its over 10 years. i was wondering, i thought they start sending their notice 2006, so we still have 2 more years for the 10 years they were talking about, and we have 140k mileage. what will i do? pls help us. ty in advance

    1. Julie says:

      If the repairs were made prior to the 10 year mark, then you are eligible for a full reimbursement. Fill out the claim form, provide all the documentation required, and then harass the Toyota Claims Department until you receive your check. It worked for me! But you have to do it before December 2014, according to the settlement.

  3. G Dexter says:

    I am the owner of a 2003 Rav4. I experienced the harsh shift condition 4 months after my in service date 10 year mark with 126,000 miles on the car. Toyota will not budge on the hard date. Customer service reps were rude. I will go back to Ford.

    1. Julie says:

      Fill out a claim form (do not talk to your local Toyota folks, they were useless to me). Good luck!

  4. KANG CHIANG says:

    I have a 2002 Toyota RAV4. I took it to the dealer yesterday because Check Engine light is on & it also exhibit a harsh shift condition. I has 78162 miles. I suspect ECM problem.
    Pls. advice what is my next step.
    thanks

    1. Julie says:

      Fill out the claim form, provide all the necessary documentation, and then harass the Toyota Claim Center until they fix it or reimburse you for fixing it!

  5. patricia rodrigueZ says:

    I have a 2002 toyota rav4. I just took it to the dealer yesterday, it has 75000 milee. The ecm has to be replaced… is there anything that can be done.???
    thanks,

    1. Julie says:

      Yes, you likely qualify for the settlement to be fully reimbursed and you should submit a claim ASAP! Unless it was covered under warranty (Toyota supposedly extended the warranty to 10 years or 150K miles for RAV4s affected by the faulty ECM.

  6. Joseph Malbrough says:

    What the deal on all this?

  7. Julie says:

    I submitted a claim form in February 2013. I received a request for more info from Toyota and then a claim denial because I hadn’t responded to the request for info. I called the Toyota representatives but got a lot of incorrect information including that I was not eligible for reimbursement because I no longer owned the car (which is absolutely untrue!). I then sent a second letter in May 2013 with the requested info including proof of ownership during my in-service date. Yesterday (August 26, 2013), I received a check for the amount I paid to replace the transmission! Toyota did not reimburse me for the $250 Roseville Toyota charged me to diagnose my bad transmission, but at least I got back the majority of my expenses (although I think they should have to pay back interest on the money as well). Long story short, Toyota gave me the run-around, but in the end I did receive the majority of my money back for the cost of replacing the transmission.

    1. romel says:

      what year is your Rav 4?

      1. Julie says:

        My RAV4 was a 2002.Like I said, it was difficult to convince Toyota to reimburse me, but I finally did (after a lot of back-up documents and some strong language about utilizing the attorneys in the settlement, etc…). Good luck!

  8. Betty Spence says:

    I am part of the class action No. C09-05418RS , Milligan VS Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc regarding transmission problems. The settlement was approved 01-06-2012.

    As of yet I have not received payment for my cost ($15202.82) for replacing the computer. WHY? EDITOR’S NOTE – Top Class Actions is NOT a settlement administrator and does not process claims. Please contact the settlement administrator for a claim form.

  9. Anonymous says:

    My in-service date was in 2007 and now I am having the problem indicated in the lawsuit and they won’t do anything because I am way over on the mileage. I just found out about this lawsuit today.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Has anyone had luck appealing? My in-service date is 1/5/02 with my 2002 Rav4 and the transmission just gave out. I have 102k on it but it looks like I’ll have to appeal because of the in service date. I had no idea about the Class Action until researching it just now!

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