Emily Sortor  |  February 6, 2018

Category: Consumer News

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Hong Kong, China Feb 23, 2016 : Toyota Prius 2016 Test Drive Day on Feb 23 2016 in Hong Kong.Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., the marketing and sales arm of Toyota USA, has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that the company’s Prius cars possess a dangerous defect that cause the vehicles to stall while being driven.

In the Toyota Prius class action lawsuit, plaintiff Jevdet Rexhepi seeks damages on behalf of himself and all other similarly affected consumers. Rexhepi alleges that Prius Hybrid models made from 2010 through 2016 are potentially affected by one or more defects in their Intelligent Power Module (IPM), located inside the inverter assembly of the hybrid system.

According to Rexhepi, the defect causes the IPM to fail, creating a serious risk that the engine will stall when being driven at high speeds. He claims that this can cause collisions, and even death, between the Prius driver and other drivers.

The defective Prius class action lawsuit alleges that Toyota was aware of the problem but did not take sufficient measures to correct the problem and protect its customers. According to the Toyota Prius engine stall class action lawsuit, Toyota recalled some Prius vehicles in February 2014 for a “Warranty Enhancement Program,” presumably to address the IPM defect.

However, the Toyota Prius class action lawsuit alleges that the recall was insufficient in correcting the problem, and was “merely a means of masking the true nature of the IPM Defect, which allowed TMS to delay the manifestation of the IPM Defect by reflashing the IPM software.” So, the defective Prius engine class action lawsuit argues that Toyota did not actually fix the engine because of the high cost of such a repair, and instead, updated the car’s software, which was a less costly change, but did not resolve the problem.

Additionally, the Prius engine stall class action lawsuit claims that the software update done during the 2014 recall not only did not solve the engine stalling problem, but caused a different problem. After the recall, the vehicles allegedly were “noticeably sluggish and unable to accelerate normally.”

The Toyota Prius stalled engine class action lawsuit claims that the “sham recall not only allowed a serious stalling problem to continue unabated, but diminished the performance of Class Vehicles to the extent that it put the driver (as well as vehicle occupants) at risk of a collision as a result of the driver being unable to adequately accelerate the engine, thereby creating an additional safety risk.”

Rexhepi argues that Toyota continued to market and sell 2010 through 2016 Prius vehicles despite their knowledge of the problem, with the goal of capitalizing on consumers’ belief that Toyotas are safe and reliable cars. He argues that in the case of the Prius vehicles no longer covered by warranty, Toyota’s practice of selling the cars despite knowing of their defect will cause consumers to lose money to fix the defect, a process which can cost between $3,000 and $10,000. So, according to Rexhepi, not only does Toyota profit from the sale of the defective vehicle, they profit from the sale of the replacement part.

Rexhepi is represented by Jeffrey L. Fazio of Fazio | Micheletti LLP; Charles J. LaDuca of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP; Adam J. Levitt and Amy E. Keller of DiCello Levitt & Casey LLC; and W. Daniel “Dee” Miles, III and H. Clay Barnett, III of Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles PC.

The Toyota Prius Defective Engine Class Action Lawsuit is Jevdet Rexhepi v. Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., Case No. BC692528, in the Superior Court of California , County of Los Angeles.

UPDATE: On April 10, 2019, Toyota can’t escape a class action lawsuit alleging certain models of its popular Prius hybrid vehicles contain a defect that causes them to stall.

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85 thoughts onToyota Prius Class Action Filed Over Dangerous Stalling Defect

  1. Jasmine Gant says:

    My 2014 Prius is dangerously stalling. I’m taking it to the dealer tomorrow. I’m afraid to drive the car especially with my child. I simply cannot rely on the car. It’s like, hey, who put my car in Park, when it’s in Drive.

    1. Abubakar mohamed says:

      It happened to my Prius 2009.

  2. Lori Roy says:

    We had this happen to us. Got recall sometime in 2014 for our 2012. Had the small EASY part to replace. 2015. I stalled on the boston freeway. Nothing car was completely dead. damn near got killed. Car completley died. No power what so ever coming out of the tunnel. Got dumped in a hood area with my 14 year old by the tow truck police to get us off the highway. Was scared to death. At mercy of tow company. Towed back to ri for a pretty penny and out of a car for a week. But. I fear to think what would have happened in the high speed lane. Ugh

  3. Greggory Veech says:

    How do I join this class action?

  4. Paul Sepe says:

    We have 2010 Prius 5 that stalls out whenever it wants to usually in a dangerous location. Today was 2nd time in 2.5 years. Last time Toyota claimed bad battery.

  5. Frank Terrill says:

    Where is my comment? We had the inverter so called computer adjustment AND had the stall out on a mountain pass in Siskiyou county California. This is a real and dangerous and expensive problem! I would be willing to testify in court as well.

    1. Top Class Actions says:

      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!

  6. JoAnne says:

    Add me

  7. ROSITA A JETT says:

    I o×n a 2014 prius and would like to be added to this class a tion.

    1. Top Class Actions says:

      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!

  8. Betty Nalker says:

    I have a 2012 Prius and I noticed a decrease in my MPG also. It started about a year or more ago. I didn’t receive a recall notice.

  9. Diane Bielinski says:

    We have a 2014 Toyota Prius hybrid that to me seems like it wants to stall out sometimes. We bought it used so I don’t know if a notice was sent out. Please add me

  10. Barry M. Schulte says:

    I have a 2012 Prius V. I did receive the “Recall Notice” an I did bring in my car for the recall. I keep better than average data on my Miles Per Gallon an have noticed and recorded a DECREASE in my gas millage.

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