Murphy v. Toyota

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
• An Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Unique Thermal Events Reimbursement Program that provides:
  1. 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
  2. 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.

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¹Capitalized terms have the meaning assigned to them in the Settlement Agreement, unless otherwise noted.

Your Legal Rights and Options in This Lawsuit

Obtain an Inspection of the Subject Vehicle	Authorized Toyota Dealers will perform an inspection of the Subject Vehicle to confirm that the Subject Vehicle’s battery is the correct size. If certain components used to secure the battery in place are found to be damaged or missing during this inspection, they will be replaced at no cost to the Class Member, as long as the correct size battery is installed at the time of the inspection. Repairs will not be made to fix any damage caused by a collision involving the Subject Vehicle. You may receive an inspection regardless of whether you had previously obtained an inspection by an authorized Toyota Dealer as part of Consumer Advisory 21TG01.
File a Claim for Reimbursement	You may file a claim for the following programs: Battery Replacement Reimbursement Program provides partial reimbursement to replace a Group 26R battery with a Group 35 battery in Subject Vehicles. The deadline to submit claims is June 25, 2025. Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Repair/Reimbursement Expense Reimbursement Program provides reimbursement for costs incurred prior to June 25, 2024, of (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. The deadline to submit such claims is December 1, 2024. Unreimbursed Out-of-Pocket Unique Thermal Events Reimbursement Program provides reimbursement for costs incurred prior to June 25, 2025, or 30 days after the date the Recall Remedy is available, whichever date is earlier, of (i) 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 (ii) related reasonable rental and/or towing expenses. The deadline to submit such claims will be July 1, 2025. If you incurred out-of-pocket expenses related to the costs above, you may submit a claim for reimbursement here.
Object	You may write to the Court to explain why you do not like the Settlement. If you object to the Settlement, you are expressing your views about the Settlement, but you will remain a member of the Class (if you are otherwise eligible) and you will still release the claims covered by this Settlement. If you make an objection, you must still submit a claim to receive compensation under the Settlement. You must object by September 30, 2024. You cannot both exclude yourself from and object to the Settlement.
Exclude Yourself	If you wish to exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must submit a request to exclude yourself from, or “opt out” of, the Settlement. If you do so, you will not receive any of the Settlement benefits, but you will preserve your rights to sue Toyota separately over the claims being resolved by this Settlement. You cannot both exclude yourself from and object to the Settlement. Your request for exclusion must be postmarked on or before October 21, 2024.
Appear in the Lawsuit or go to the Fairness Hearing	You are not required to appear before the Court to participate in the Settlement. If you object to the Settlement as described above, you may ask to speak in Court about the fairness of the Settlement. The Fairness Hearing is set for November 19, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. CST.
Do Nothing	If you are a member of the Class and choose to do nothing, you will not receive certain benefits provided under the Settlement, and you will give up the right to sue Toyota about the issues in the lawsuit.