toyota car steering wheel

Battery Defects in Toyota RAV4 SUVs

By Andrea Plata

A class action lawsuit has been brought against Toyota for issues relating to their RAV4 SUVs. The plaintiffs claim that the vehicles have known battery defects that create dangerous conditions for vehicle owners. 

What is an Automobile Class Action Lawsuit? 

A class action lawsuit is a lawsuit brought by a group of plaintiffs who have suffered similar damages or injuries. Automobile class action lawsuits are typically brought when a group of plaintiffs is claiming that a specific auto part has either design or manufacturing defects. The term defect is used to describe a condition of a consumer product that does not meet a consumer’s reasonable expectation. 

Toyota RAV4 Battery Defect 

The class action lawsuit against Toyota was filed in Michigan by owner Juliet Murphy and alleges that the RAV4s have battery defects that cause the vehicle to lose electrical power, stall, and catch fire. The plaintiff claims that she had her RAV4 serviced at a Toyota dealership in 2020 and soon after noticed issues with the car’s battery. Murphy then had the battery replaced as she was concerned with the integrity of the vehicle’s safety of the battery system. 

The class action complaint alleges that the 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4 vehicles have defects relating to its 12-volt B+ terminals, causing the SUV to stall and catch fire. 

National Highway Traffic Safety Investigation

A week prior to the filing of the lawsuit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had opened an investigation into the Toyota RAV4 models after numerous complaints of non-crash fires. The NHTSA claims that it received early warning reports of fires occurring on the left side of the engine compartments where the batteries are located in the 2013-2018 RAV4 SUVs.  Most of the complaints involved consumers experiencing fires while driving the vehicles while four complaints allege that they experienced fire while the vehicle’s ignition was off. 

NHTSA’s safety investigators are alleging that the B+ battery terminals may experience electrical shorts to the frames that hold down the 12-volt batteries and that this is what is causing the electrical fires to spark. 

Toyota RAV4 Class Action

The Toyota RAV4 class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division: Murphy, v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al. Plaintiff alleges that Toyota has knowingly concealed the battery defects for years and has continuously refused to offer repair under warranty or acknowledge any defect. The complaint alleges that Toyota’s reluctance to recognize or remedy the battery defect has caused the RAV4’s to diminish in value and has created unsafe driving conditions.  

How We Can Help

If your Toyota vehicle has suffered repeated electrical defects, we invite you to contact our firm for a free consultation.  Our attorneys are familiar with the electrical issues afflicting Toyota vehicles and will work tirelessly to protect your rights.  Please call CCA today for a free consultation: (833) LEMON-FIRM. We will get you the compensation you deserve – and at no cost to you! 

About the Author
Sepehr Daghighian is a partner with CCA that is well-versed in all aspects of lemon-law litigation. A 2005 graduate of Loyola Law School, Mr. Daghighian has been practicing litigation throughout the state of California for over 13-years. In this time, Mr. Daghighian has advocated on behalf of California consumers in hundreds of lemon law cases throughout our great state. Mr. Daghighian has also successfully tried numerous such cases to verdict in both Federal and State Court.