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Toyota battery class action overview:
- Who: A 2020 Toyota RAV4 customer is suing Toyota.
- Why: The customer says the vehicles have a defect that causes the battery to drain while the car is off.
- Where: The Toyota battery class action was filed in a Georgia federal court.
Toyota knowingly made and sold 2020 Toyota RAV4s with a defect that causes the battery to drain while the cars are turned off, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Nick McClure filed the class action lawsuit against Toyota Motor North America Inc. and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Sept. 27 in a Georgia federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
He is looking to represent all current and former owners or lessors of 2020 Toyota RAV4s.
According to the lawsuit, the vehicles suffer from a defect that causes their battery power to drain even while they are turned off.
“The drain of electricity from the battery quickly disables the battery, making it impossible to turn the Vehicle on without exogenous power,” the lawsuit alleges.
The defect then causes other components of the car’s electrical system and safety features to malfunction, posing a safety hazard for drivers and passengers who are “stranded when their vehicle’s battery fails prematurely, its engine stalls suddenly in the midst of traffic, or when the vehicle veers dangerously out of its driving lane because its steering has malfunctioned,” the lawsuit states.
Toyota misrepresented quality of RAV4, lawsuit alleges
According to McClure, Toyota’s marketing aims to convince consumers that the 2020 RAV4 is of the highest quality, made with the utmost care, and are safe and dependable.
“But Toyota has misrepresented and actively concealed the existence, causes, and consequences of the Parasitic Drain Defect, which results in the failure of the Vehicles’ essential purpose to transport drivers and passengers reliably and safely,” he states.
While the battery life is advertised as being three to five years, the battery is depleted in months, “or even days,” of a consumer taking possession of the vehicle, McClure states.
He says Toyota knew of the issues prior to Jan. 2019, but released it anyway without any warning to customers, and then went on to try to conceal that there was an issue, refusing repairs and refunds.
As a result, McClure is suing for breach of warranty and unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices.
He’s seeking an order forcing Toyota to cover the alleged issue under warranty, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
Meanwhile, Toyota has recalled more than 4,000 vehicles—including 2022 gasoline-powered Rav4, Rav4 Hybrid, and Rav4 Prime plug-in hybrid vehicles, and 2023 Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X vehicles—due to airbag and wheel detachment issues.
In January, the automaker reached a deal with a group of drivers that alleges certain Toyota 2019, 2020 and 2021 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles are advertised as having 14.5-gallon fuel tanks when owners can only add 10 gallons to the tank.
Have you owned or leased a 2020 Toyota RAV4? Let us know your experience in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Stacey A. Carroll of Carroll Law Firm, LLC.
The Toyota RAV4 class action lawsuit is Nick McClure v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-03898-SEG in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
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41 thoughts onToyota class action claims defect causes draining battery
I have a 2020 Rav4 XLE Premium and Just 18 months after purchasing the vehicle I had to replace the battery. I was told it should last me 3-4 years. Well two years after the replacement and it looks like I will need to replace the battery again. Either there is something wrong with the car or Toyota has been getting bad batteries from the manufacturer. I remembered that they once were getting bad airbags from their supplier.
Battery drains just like the others, very frustrating since I just bought my 2020. Was also told by the dealer the batteries last 8-10 years, very false.
My 2023 Rav4’s hybrid. If I leave the car in the warm season at 10 days, I find it with a completely discharged battery . In winter, the battery runs out in a week.
My 2020 RAV4 has the same problem. Just replaced the battery and one week later, the brand new battery was dead!
Our 2020 RAV4 has been having low battery warnings for years, requiring external charging with a battery charger. We had to replace the battery a couple of months ago, and it is already giving us a low battery message on the dashboard.
Having the same problem with my battery draining. Very frustrating. I would like to be part of the class action lawsuit.