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A class action lawsuit alleges Toyota and Lexus manufacturers misled consumers with a warranty program promoted as a fix for millions of car owners with defective dashboards.
The complaint claims “[t]he warranty program made promises Defendants could not keep.”
The Toyota class action lawsuit states that the auto manufacturers released several models of vehicles that had a latent defect in the dashboard – that would “melt or degrade upon prolonged exposure to the sun.”
The complaint asserts that Toyota knew about this defect, but did not inform affected vehicle owners. Instead, Toyota would offer costly repairs, thereby obtaining “further profit from the Defect by shifting responsibility for repair costs and delaying reimbursement for any repair costs for years.”
Several previous class actions were filed against Toyota to rectify this defect, according to the complaint. In 2014, those class actions were dismissed, but only “on the basis that millions of owners of automobiles with defective dashboards would receive voluntary and comprehensive warranty coverage,” according to the complaint.
However, the class action lawsuit asserts that Toyota did not have enough parts in stock to make the necessary repairs for every consumer, and also required the repairs to be done only at certified Toyota dealerships. Because of these restrictions, this lawsuit contends that “most” consumers have not been able to get their warranty work done. More importantly, the warranty period will expire on May 31, 2017, without these consumer being able to complete their repairs.
“Toyota is now in breach of its Program by failing to timely implement the repair component of the Program, leaving millions of consumers with defective dashboards and without any remedy,” the class action alleges.
Plaintiffs Wanda Jeffers and Jill Gibson state that they are mother and daughter, and jointly own a 2009 Toyota Camry affected by the dashboard defect. They received a notice of the defect and warranty from Toyota, and say they contacted their dealership in Florence, South Carolina. The plaintiffs claim that they made “repeated contacts” with their Toyota dealership but their vehicle has not been repaired.
The misleading dashboard warranty lawsuit requests certification of a Class of all persons in the U.S. who own a vehicle affected by the defect. Affected vehicles include: the “2003-2005 Toyota 4Runner, the 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, the 2007-2011 Toyota Camry and Toyota Camry Hybrid, the 2004-2010 Toyota Sienna, the 2004-2008 Toyota Solara, the 2006-2008 Lexus ES 350, the 2003-2008 Lexus GX 470, the 2006-2008 Lexus IS 250/350, the 2007 Lexus LS 460, the 2004-2006 Lexus RX 330, the 2007- 2009 Lexus RX 350, and the 2005-2008 Lexus RX 400h.”
The class action seeks compensatory damages, including damages caused by the warranty delay.
Jeffers and Gibson are represented by T. Christopher Tuck, A. Hoyt Rowell III, and Robert S. Wood of Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman LLC, Mark C. Tanenbaum and Mia Lauren Maness of the Law Offices of Mark C. Tanenbaum PA, and George D. Jebaily of Jebaily Law Firm PA.
The Toyota Dashboard Warranty Class Action Lawsuit is Wanda E. Jeffers, et al., v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al., Case No. 4:17-cv-00577, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Florence Division.
UPDATE: The Toyota Dashboard Warranty Class Action Lawsuit was dismissed on May 22, 2018. Top Class Actions will let our viewers know if a new case is filed.
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194 thoughts onToyota, Lexus Class Action Says Dashboard Warranty Program is Misleading
I have a 2008 ES 350 Lexus and just as some spoke ahead that my dash is melting and I contacted the dealership and they told me I didn’t qualify for the replacement dashboard. They say they sent out letters, but I never received a letter from them because I would have immediately acted upon it. I had to hear it from someone else who owns a Toyota Camry. They’re not being fair to all customers. They also stated that it was well over the 100,000 mile mark. Now I’m getting penalized for buying a used car. It still should be covered since it’s never been repaired before and it just started happening to the car.I feel like I’m being discriminated against and that’s not right at all. Every car that has this problem should be fixed.
How do I get information on the class action suit because I would like to become apart of it?
I have a 2007 GX 470 with a severely cracked dash. I was given the total run around. How do I find out where in the litigation process this case is?
Thanks,
Curt
I have a 2007 es 350 with a melting dashboard. The service dept never mentioned to be about the issue.
The case is still moving through the courts and has not yet reached a settlement. Claim forms are usually not made available to consumers until after a court approved settlement is reached. We recommend you sign up for a free account at TopClassActions.com and follow the case. We will update the article with any major case developments or settlement news! Setting up a free account with Top Class Actions will allow you to receive instant updates on ANY article that you ‘Follow’ on our website. A link to creating an account may be found here: https://topclassactions.com/signup/. You can then ‘Follow’ the article above, and get notified immediately when we post updates!
2006 RX330 With a severely cracked and melting dash. I asked my dealer service department twice about my dash and was told they did not do that type of repair and was not told there was a problem with other cars. Was never notified of the
enhanced warranty. I want to be part of the class action.
We have a 2008 Toyota Camry which we have owned since 2012. The dash began cracking and getting sticky in early 2017 that we noticed. We never said anything at that point because we weren’t aware of a recall program and we couldn’t afford to have something done with it so we left it alone. We went to our Toyota dealer yesterday for an alarm issue and asked about the dash in passing and they informed me that there was a program issued to replace the dash and a notice was sent out. They also said a 2nd notice came out allowing replacement of the dash for 10 years from the first driven date which they assume in our case was 2007 when the car was sold. We never received a notice or we certainly would have had this work done. So that leaves us out of luck according to them. We feel these dashboards should be replaced 1 time during the life of the vehicle. We can’t help that it took our dashboard longer to start breaking down. It has been stored in a garage so with less exposure to the elements the damage onset was delayed. We need this replaced and Toyota should cover this for all vehicles 1 time. We would be happy to be a part of the class action lawsuit.
I have a 2007 Lexus ES 350 and my dashboard actually melts! How can I become part in this lawsuit?
I have the same issue. 2007 IS350 with a melting and deteriorating dash. Dealer won’t touch it and never mentioned the dash recall at any of the three occasions I took the vehicle in for airbag and engine recalls. At least one of which was done while the dash recall was still in effect. My resale on the vehicle is now nosediving because the dash is garbage. I’m furious.
Has there been any further updates on the case?
I have a 2006 Solara SE – my first use was April 2005. The secondary coverage of 10 years from first use would have already expired when I received their letter about the replacement program. The program criteria doesn’t make sense. If they didn’t have the parts ready, they should have extended their dates for both primary and secondary coverage. And if people fall outside of the dates, they should still take some responsibility in the replacement costs.
I, too, own an affected vehicle (2006 GX470) and date of first use of April 2006 puts me out of any assistance by Lexus. Problem is, I didn’t even know about this situation until today (February 23, 2018). Bought the GX in June of 2016 so for all intents and purposes, the car was out of the enhanced warranty period BEFORE I bought it. Noticed hairline cracks to dash within the last six months that are steadily growing. Call to Lexus Customer Assistance got me nowhere. Would love to bbe part of this suit if I qualify!
I have a 2005 Lexus RX330 and my dash is cracked. What can I do?
The case is still moving through the courts and has not yet reached a settlement. Claim forms are usually not made available to consumers until after a court approved settlement is reached. We recommend you sign up for a free account at TopClassActions.com and follow the case. We will update the article with any major case developments or settlement news! Setting up a free account with Top Class Actions will allow you to receive instant updates on ANY article that you ‘Follow’ on our website. A link to creating an account may be found here: https://topclassactions.com/signup/. You can then ‘Follow’ the article above, and get notified immediately when we post updates!
I have a 2009 Camry XLE with a melted dashboard and never received notice concerning recall. I wish to join the class action lawsuit.