MENU
SEARCH
DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp. now faces more than 320 lawsuits in federal and state court related to its sudden acceleration problems, The Associated Press reported.
In a report filed Friday with U.S. District Judge James Selna, attorneys for the plaintiffs and Toyota listed 228 federal cases and 99 related cases in state courts. A judicial panel consolidated the federal cases before Selna last month.
Selna's court is in Orange County, Calif., near Los Angeles and close to Toyota's U.S. headquarters. The next court date in the case is scheduled for May 13.
The lawsuits began appearing last fall as Toyota initiated the first of a series of recalls eventually involving about 8 million vehicles — including about 6 million in the U.S. — over acceleration problems in several models and brake issues with the popular Prius hybrid. Toyota said the acceleration problems were caused by faulty floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals. Some plaintiffs also claim that there is a defect with Toyota's electronic throttle control system, but Toyota denies that.
Plaintiffs are alleging injury and death due to the sudden acceleration as well as breach of warranty, fraud and economic injury because the values of their vehicles plummeted after the recalls. A key early decision in those cases is whether to establish millions of similar Toyota owners as a single class, meaning all would be affected by a potential damages award or settlement. In the documents filed Friday, Toyota says that drivers who haven't experienced any malfunctions shouldn't be included in the class.
Attorneys estimate that if Toyota were to settle the cases for even a modest payout to affected motorists, it could cost the company at least $3 billion and possibly much more. In comparison, drug maker Merck & Co. has paid more than $4.8 billion into a settlement fund for tens of thousands of claims from people who used its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx.
Toyota already has paid a record $16.4 million fine to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which linked 52 deaths to acceleration problems.
Wholesale auto conversion rates dropped slightly as auction buyers proved picky last week, analysts observed.
Read More →
Fast charging of electric vehicles provides a solution for range anxiety, but it also poses a risk to battery cycle life due to increased temperatures, according to an EV supply chain data provider.
Read More →
Expanding Midwest automotive group picks up three stores as part of the robust transaction activity early this year.
Read More →
Stellantis is adding a third end-of-life vehicle dismantling facility to feed its growing reuse business sparked in large part by autos’ growing lifespans.
Read More →
Cox Automotive data shows Americans doubled down on big-is-better despite price increases. Slightly higher incentives helped fuel the demand.
Read More →
The automaker says its movement of some electric-vehicle work to the S.C. factory is part of a more tailored product focus. It also plans to add a new hybrid model to the plant’s itinerary.
Read More →
Last week's wholesale automotive auction activity continued in a healthy mode, though buyers practiced selectivity.
Read More →
CarGurus’ first quarterly review of 2026 shows that affordability concerns are continuing to drive consumer purchases with a shift to more fuel-efficient options.
Read More →
JD Power analysts see auto retail faring this year’s storms well through various means, though it acknowledges conditions are challenging to accurately predict.
Read More →
Car insurance premiums have continued to decline so far this year, the overall national average settling at $138 per month in March, according to Insurify data.
Read More →