Class Action Says Jan. 2020 Toyota, Lexus Denso Fuel Pump Recall Left Out Affected 2018-2019 Vehicles [UPDATE]
Last Updated on August 2, 2024
Cheng v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al.
Filed: February 4, 2020 ◆§ 1:20-cv-00629
A class action lawsuit centers on a fuel pump defect affecting hundreds of thousands of 2018-2019 Toyota and Lexus vehicle models.
Toyota Motor Corp. Toyota Motor North America, Inc. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc.
New York
October 13, 2022 – Toyota, Denso Fuel Pump Lawsuit Settlement Creates New Warranty Programs
Toyota and Denso International America have settled the proposed class action detailed on this page, and owners and lessees of certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles can now file claims for compensation.
The settlement, which was preliminarily approved by the court on September 16, 2022, establishes a new warranty program, among other relief depending on vehicle model, and will pay more than $28 million in attorney fees. The official settlement website is www.toyotafuelpumpssettlement.com.
The Customer Support Program created by the settlement will provide owners and lessees of these vehicles with coverage of 15 years from the date of original sale or lease for free repairs to correct any fuel pump defects.
The deal also provides owners and lessees of the Toyota and Lexus vehicles listed here and here with an extended new parts warranty of 15 years, measured from July 15, 2021 or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, for the replacement fuel pump kit.
Also available through the deal is a complimentary loaner/towing program for vehicles undergoing fuel pump repairs, and reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket costs related to the repairs.
The vehicles covered by the settlement are/were equipped with Denso low-pressure fuel pumps bearing part number prefixes 23220- and/or 23221-, and include those recalled by Toyota in 2020. The deal also includes vehicles identified under special service campaigns 21LC01 and 21TC03 that are/were equipped with Denso low-pressure fuel pumps bearing part number prefix 04009.
If you’re unsure whether you are covered by the settlement, enter your 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) on this page to check if you are a class member. Consumers may also call 1-833-512-2318 to see if they’re covered by the settlement.
Many class members will have received this direct notice about the deal. If you believe you’re covered by the settlement but did not receive a direct notice, you may contact the settlement administrator here.
To file a claim for reimbursement of repair expenses, head to this page. If you have a class member ID, which can be found on the direct notice you received about the settlement, select the top option to begin your claim. If you do not have a class member ID, you can still proceed with your claim by selecting the bottom option.
Eligible drivers do not have to do anything specific to seek coverage for the extended warranty programs, meaning there is no deadline by which to file a claim.
The loaner/towing program included in the deal will last for the duration of the Customer Support Program and extended new parts warranty.
The deadline by which to submit a claim for reimbursement is 90 days after the settlement receives final approval from the court, a hearing for which is slated for December 14, 2022. Benefits and compensation from the settlement will become available after the court grants the deal final approval, and any objections/appeals are resolved.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs anticipate that the total value of the settlement could eclipse $150 million.
Don’t miss out on settlement news like this. Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.
A proposed class action lawsuit aims to expand a January 2020 recall of nearly 700,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with a defective low-pressure Denso fuel pump and made between August 2018 and January 2019. The suit out of New York’s Eastern District claims that despite the extent of the recall, all 2018-2019 Toyota-made vehicles are troubled by the same low-pressure fuel pump problem and should have been included in the recall.
According to Toyota’s statement on the recall, approximately 690,000 of the following vehicle models were equipped with a fuel pump that could prematurely stop operating, and cause an engine to run rough or a vehicle to stall out, during the course of normal use:
The lawsuit alleges, however, that “the same dangerous condition” presented by the supposedly defective fuel pump exists in all 2018-2019 Toyota-manufactured vehicles. Affected vehicles are equipped with a fuel pump with a part number prefix of 23220- or 23221-, the suit says.
With regard to the defect itself, the suit explains that the faulty fuel pumps’ premature failure, as stated by Toyota, is linked to a defectively designed plastic impeller, the component within the pump that spins and generates negative pressure. This negative pressure pulls a vehicle’s fuel from the gas tank up through the fuel lines and into the fuel filter before the gasoline is delivered to an engine’s fuel injectors, the lawsuit says. According to the case, the plastic impeller in Toyota’s defective fuel pumps can deform and become inoperable due to excessive fuel absorption.
As explained in the complaint, fuel pump failure can put a driver and occupants in danger in the event a vehicle suddenly stalls or experiences and engine shutdown. At any rate, the suit says, diminished capacity with regard to the ability to accelerate a vehicle, a potential symptom of a fuel pump problem, poses a significant safety risk to drivers and those with whom they share the road. Once a fuel pump has failed completely, a vehicle becomes totally inoperable, the case mentions.
According to the suit, while Toyota possessed knowledge of the fuel pump defect for some time, the automaker did not disclose to the public that a number of its vehicle models were inherently unsafe. To date, the suit says, Toyota has not identified a fix for the fuel pump problem, relaying that “[the] final corrective repair action is still under study.”
“Egregiously,” the lawsuit says, Toyota has similarly failed to recommend that drivers keep affected vehicle models off the road. Given the level of danger presented by the fuel pump defect, Toyota “at a minimum” should have offered drivers free loaner vehicles “until they could devise and implement a fix or take other action to protect consumers’ safety,” the complaint reads.
The case alleges consumers have been deprived of the benefit of their bargain by purchasing or leasing Toyota and Lexus vehicles that, despite being advertised as reliable, safe modes of transportation, are inherently unsafe due to the fuel pump defect.
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