— A Toyota Corolla crash has caused a class action lawsuit that alleges braking system problems caused data from the car to indicate the brake pedal wasn't pressed when the driver complains it was.
According to the lawsuit, the Corolla driver says she slammed on the brake pedal, but Toyota says data from the car prove otherwise.
The Corolla class action lawsuit includes all "current or former owners and lessees of any 2024 Toyota Corolla (including any subtype) that was purchased or leased within the State of California."
Plaintiff Valerie Infante says she has decades of driving experience and no prior accidents as a driver when she purchased a new 2024 Toyota Corolla in September 2023.
On March 16, 2024, the plaintiff was driving with her kids in heavy slow-moving traffic on Interstate 15 in San Bernadino County. Due to another driver, the plaintiff had to suddenly brake, "applying heavy force to her Corolla’s brake pedal to avoid any potential collision."
But she says nothing happened and her Corolla didn't slow down even as she "was slamming her brake pedal down, through its range of motion, for multiple seconds on end."
She contends it was like not even pushing on the brake pedal as her Corolla continued forward at about 38 mph. The class action lawsuit says her teenage son was sitting in the passenger seat and "heard the pedal being forcefully pressed down."
According to the plaintiff, her Toyota Corolla rolled to within about 15 yards of the car in front of her at about 36 mph, but the automatic emergency braking kicked in about 1.5 seconds before impact. This slowed the Corolla to about 10 to 15 mph when the crash occurred, "resulting in significant damage to her and the other driver’s vehicle."
No one was hospitalized or killed, but Toyota was called and inspected the car. The data allegedly "records falsely" that the plaintiff never "pressed the brake pedal—even slightly—at any time during the last 4.86 seconds before impact."
"The truth is that Plaintiff had slammed her brake pedal down forcefully, for multiple seconds before (and while) the car’s Automatic Emergency Braking was engaged. The car simply failed to respond to, or digitally record, Plaintiff’s forceful pressing of her brake pedal throughout the several seconds immediately before impact." — Toyota Corolla class action lawsuit
After Toyota spent days inspecting the crashed 2024 Corolla, the plaintiff received a letter from Toyota in April 2024 "refusing to accept responsibility for her Corolla’s life-threatening brake failure."
Toyota asserts based on the event data recorder, there were no flaws or defects in the Corolla braking system.
The class action alleges, "Toyota’s Letter misleading omits that the car’s EDR data (falsely) states the brake pedal was never 'applied,' throughout the last 4.86 seconds before impact."
The plaintiff argues this goes against what really happened, and all 2024 Toyota Corolla cars have serious defects in the braking systems. However, the class action seems to be unsure exactly what the braking defects are.
"Whatever the precise origin of this Brake Defect is—be it a defective brake pedal Sensor, poor ECU software programming, or faulty computer hardware or wiring in the braking system—this Defect must be thoroughly diagnosed and remediated as soon as possible for the sake of public safety" — Toyota Corolla lawsuit
However, the plaintiff seems to lean toward software errors.
"Plaintiff’s frightening experience on the road in March 2024 was, in all likelihood, the result of an “ECU software” error or other technological error, which prevented her Corolla’s ECU from accurately receiving, processing, and recording the true 'Brake Pedal Position' that Plaintiff was applying with her foot, during the five seconds immediately before her crash" — Toyota Corolla braking lawsuit
The Toyota Corolla class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Valerie Infante v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Harris LLP.
