— A Toyota Prius class action lawsuit settlement has been reached between Toyota and car owners who allege the Prius inverters and intelligent power modules are defective.
The 2010-2015 Toyota Prius and 2012-2017 Prius v cars were involved in recalls E0E, F0R, J0V and/or 20TA10.
The inverter lawsuit also alleges Toyota's Prius inverter recalls were shams and left owners at risk on the roads, all allegedly so Toyota could save money.
The plaintiffs also claim Toyota replaced defective intelligent power modules with equally defective modules.
In response to the class action lawsuit, Toyota provided evidence the recalls fixed any issues with the cars entering fail-safe modes.
Toyota confirmed the software used in the recalls ensures the Prius cars will not suffer "rapid deceleration of the vehicle, a loss in the vehicle’s power steering or an impact on the ability to brake normally in the vehicle [and that] the vehicle can be driven at safe speeds above approximately 60 mph while in the fail-safe mode of operation.”
If a Prius inverter fails, the car will enter fail-safe mode, and "Toyota is aware of no incident in which a Subject Vehicle equipped with the Recall Software was unable to travel ~60 miles per hour after entering fail-safe mode."
According to the lawsuit, the recall repairs didn't fix the problem of deformed transistors that caused the inverter problems, but Toyota instead chose to simply reflash the software to ensure the cars entered fail-safe mode instead of shutting off completely.
In addition, the plaintiffs claim the reflash caused problems with engines that suddenly were sluggish.
Toyota Prius Inverter Failure Settlement Agreement
Toyota Prius Inverter Loaner / Towing Program
As part of a customer confidence program, Toyota will provide a loaner vehicle if the inverter repair or replacement takes more than four hours to perform.
A Prius driver may also receive a tow to a dealer or be reimbursed up to $250 for towing expenses.
Toyota will also extend coverage under the current warranty enhancement programs which relate to diagnostic trouble codes P0A94, P0A1A, P324E, and P3004 to provide coverage 20 years from the date the car was first used.
In certain situations, Toyota will provide coverage for inverter repairs or replacements if a Toyota dealer discovers diagnostic trouble codes P0A7A or P0A78 and if the dealer confirmed the Prius inverter failed.
Repairs or replacements will also be covered if a dealer confirms the inverter failed due to a "thermal event" regardless of which trouble code is triggered.
Toyota Prius Inverter Expenses
A Prius customer may be eligible for reimbursement payments for the following:
- Rental car expenses incurred in connection with the repair or replacement of an intelligent power module or an inverter.
- Towing charges that had been incurred in connection with the repair or replacement of an intelligent power module or an inverter.
- The cost of repairing or replacing an intelligent power module or an inverter.
Toyota Prius customers will need to provide any requested documents and file timely claim forms.
The Toyota Prius inverter failure lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The plaintiffs are represented by Fazio Micheletti LLP, Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca LLP, Waymaker LLP, Audet & Partners LLP, Miller Barondess LLP and Kiesel Law LLP.
