Cash Payments and Other Benefits Are Available for Eligible Current and Former Owners and Lessees of 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 Vehicles.
There is a proposed settlement (the “Settlement”) in a class action lawsuit against the Toyota Defendants1 concerning 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles, which were identified as part of Recall 23V-734 (known as the “Subject Vehicles”). Note: Hybrid vehicles are not included in the Recall or the Settlement. If you are included in the Settlement, you have legal rights and options and deadlines by which you must exercise them.
The Settlement provides a Consumer Support Program that provides an Inspection Program and reimbursement of certain unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses as further discussed in this Settlement notice.
The case is currently pending before Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division, in an action titled Murphy v. Toyota Motor Corp., Case No. 4:21-cv-00178 (E.D. Tex.). Plaintiffs allege that the battery terminal equipped in the Subject Vehicles are vulnerable to battery failure which can lead the automobile to lose electrical power, experience vehicle stalling, and potentially cause a fire in the engine compartment. Toyota denies the allegations brought against it in the lawsuit but has agreed to the Settlement to resolve the case. The Court has not decided who is right. The purpose of this website and the Notice are to provide you with important information about the Settlement so you may decide what to do.
If the Court grants final approval, the Settlement will provide compensation and other benefits to eligible current and former owners and lessees of Subject Vehicles through a Customer Support Program. The Customer Support Program benefits include:
- An Inspection Program;
- A Battery Replacement Reimbursement Program that provides partial reimbursement to replace a Group 26R battery with a Group 35 battery in Subject Vehicles;
- An Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Repair/Replacement Expense Reimbursement Program that provides reimbursement for (i) unreimbursed repairs or parts replacements of the battery hold-down assembly of the Subject Vehicle and (ii) related reasonable rental and/or towing expenses; and
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An Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Unique Thermal Events Reimbursement Program that provides:
- unreimbursed out-of-pocket damages to the Subject Vehicle and/or property damage caused by a Unique Thermal Event caused by the alleged defect to the Subject Vehicle’s battery hold-down assembly; and
- related reasonable rental and/or towing expenses.
You may be eligible for these benefits if you own, lease, or previously owned or leased a Subject Vehicle and file a timely and valid Claim. The Subject Vehicles are 2013–2018 RAV4 vehicles.
To determine whether your vehicle is part of the Class, please use the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) lookup tool here to check the eligibility of your vehicle.
For their work in securing this Settlement, the attorneys representing the Class (known as “Class Counsel”) will request up to $13.6 million in attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses. Class Counsel will also request service awards of up to $5,000 for each of the Class Representatives. If approved by the Court, the attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses, and Class Representative service awards, will be paid by Toyota.
This website and the Notice provide a summary of the Settlement, and it is important that you review them carefully to understand your legal rights. The full details of the Settlement, including the Settlement Agreement and other important case documents, are available on the Documents page. Please visit this website regularly for further updates about the Settlement.
1Capitalized terms have the meaning assigned to them in the Settlement Agreement, unless otherwise noted.