Toyota face $2,000,000,000 class action over alleged emissions defeat devices

$25,000,000,000. That was the price it cost Volkswagen for their aptly named ‘Dieselgate’ a few years back. The German company were caught red-handed with clever, albeit morally bankrupt, emissions-defeating systems built into their diesel offerings. The onboard systems were able to determine if they were on the road, or in a test facility, and alter their emissions accordingly. It allowed VW to pass emissions checks to be certified, and then meet fuel economy and performance figures in the real world. When the scandal came out, Volkswagen’s diesel lineup was dead in the water. Now, it appears, it’s Toyota’s turn. A new class-action claims Toyota have done similar, and they’re after a cool $2,000,000,000 in settlements for affected customers.

Toyota are no stranger to lawsuits over their pollution equipment. In April this year, a class action was resolved over the Japanese brand’s troublesome Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). HiLux’s, Prado’s, and Fortuners built between 2015 and 2020 were found to have unsuitable DPFs. Easily clogged, the systems would increase fuel consumption, belch white smoke, and frequently require servicing, inspection, or repairs. In total 264,170 vehicles were affected. Despite Toyota’s protests, the court ultimately found that Toyota’s “conduct in marketing the vehicles as being of acceptable quality was misleading.”

“the court ultimately found that Toyota’s “conduct in marketing the vehicles as being of acceptable quality was misleading.”

In the U.S. VW was fined an eye-watering two-hundred-and-fifty-billion dollars for their scandal. In Aussie dollars that works out to nearly $400,000,000,000. Locally, an additional 125 million Aussie dollars was levied against the company, with a further $1400 payable amount to every affected owner.

So what are Toyota actually in strife for this time? Well, if Maddens Lawyers are to be believed, a lot. A whole whole lot. The Victorian legal firm claim that Toyota has built in similar emissions-defeating systems as Volkswagen did, allowing their diesel vehicles to perform cleaner under test conditions than in the real world. Madden claims the following vehicles are all affected, as long as they were built after 2016.

• Hilux, Landcruiser Prado, Fortuner, Granvia and HiAce vehicles fitted with a 2.8 litre 1GD-FTV engine
• Hilux vehicles fitted with a 2.4 litre 2GD-FTV engine
• Landcruiser vehicles fitted with a 3.3 litre F33A-FTV engine
• Landcruiser vehicles fitted with a 4.5 litre 1VD-FTV 195kW to 200 kW engine
• RAV-4 vehicles fitted with a 2.2 litre 2AD-FHV or 2AD-FTV engine

It’s believed if the class action is successful, Toyota could be liable for over two billion dollars in compensation to owners of affected vehicles. This would be on top of fines levied by the government. In the previous DPF suit, the court found that Toyota’s actions were responsible for a 17.5% drop in value of their customers affected vehicles. That’s a large chunk of change for people who have just dropped $130,000+ on a new 300 Series.

If you think your vehicle is affected, you can sign up for free at the link below.

Dan Everett