TOYOTA VEHICLES’
RECURRING PROBLEMS
If problems in your Toyota vehicle won’t go away, you may have a defective vehicle on your hands.
These faulty vehicles, also known as “lemons,” have defects that affect their use, safety or value. Those who own or lease these vehicles often find that their vehicles have problems that cannot be resolved even after numerous visits to a licensed dealership or authorized repair facility. The California Lemon Law states that if the dealership or repair facility cannot fix the vehicle with a “reasonable number of attempts,” the vehicle is considered a “lemon.”
If you suspect that your vehicle is a lemon, you may need to consult a lemon law attorney about your situation and any questions you may have.
What Can Go Wrong With My Toyota?
If your Toyota experiences problems that negatively impact its use, safety or value, and those problems will not go away after a reasonable number of repair attempts, your Toyota may be considered a “lemon.” Below are some of the most common problems that afflict Toyota vehicles.
Fuel Pump Problems
Several Toyota and Lexus vehicle models are equipped with DENSO fuel pumps, many of which have been recalled. These fuel pumps are known to absorb excessive fuel due to problems in the fuel pump impellers. As a result, these fuel pumps can cause rough running, stalling and non-starting of the engine.
Because of parts shortages and the number of vehicles affected, Toyota issued rolling recalls of affected Toyota and Lexus vehicles. These recalls were split into phases, each with assigned vehicle models. This left some owners and lessees of models in later phases waiting several months for a fix. Not only that, some owners and lessees have reported to us that they were made to wait more than 30 days for their Toyota or Lexus vehicles to leave the repair shop for this problem.
Multiple class action lawsuits allege that the fuel pump problems cause additional vehicle defects, that Toyota took too long to issue the recall, and that the recalls do not include all Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with the faulty DENSO fuel pumps.
If your Toyota is equipped with a faulty fuel pump that cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts, you may need to consult a lemon law attorney about your situation.
Transmission Problems
Toyota faces a class action lawsuit alleging that 8-speed transmissions cause several shifting and speed control defects in some Toyota Highlander and Toyota Sienna vehicles.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims that direct shift 8AT transmissions cause harsh or delayed shifting, delayed acceleration, hesitation, jerking, unintended acceleration, lurching and excessive revving before upshifting in the affected models. These defects allegedly make driving dangerous for vehicle occupants and other vehicles on the road.
Some consumers allege that the transmission repairs were ineffective and sometimes worsened the transmission problems. Any one of the defects listed in the lawsuit can create unsafe driving situations. If your Toyota has shown transmission problems that will not go away, your Toyota may be considered a lemon.
If your Toyota experiences any of these prominent issues, or if it experiences any other problems that make it unsafe to drive, you may benefit from pursuing a California lemon law claim.
What Can I Get From A California Lemon Law Case?
California residents who bought or leased vehicles from licensed California dealerships can pursue lemon law cases if their vehicles have repeated problems that couldn’t be fixed within a reasonable number of attempts.
If your vehicle has a recurring problem that couldn’t be fixed despite multiple repair attempts, you may be eligible for one of the following awards under the California Lemon Law: cash compensation, a vehicle replacement or a lemon law buyback. A replacement vehicle has to be roughly similar to the model found to be a “lemon;” this typically means you will receive a vehicle of the same make and model.
If you receive a lemon law buyback, you are refunded the full purchase price of your faulty vehicle, minus a deduction called a “mileage offset.” This deduction is determined by the number of “good miles” you got out of your vehicle before the defect first appeared.
However, it is difficult to achieve the award you deserve without the help of experienced California lemon law attorneys.
How Can Knight Law Group Help Me?
You do not have to go through the lemon law process alone. Our California lemon law attorneys can help you get the legal outcome you deserve.
Knight Law Group has helped thousands of California residents navigate the lemon law process and give them a fair fight against auto manufacturers who supplied these faulty vehicles. Our multilingual staff can answer any questions you may have about common vehicle defects and the California lemon law process. Should you choose us to represent you, we will provide you up-to-date information on your lemon law case.
If you have any questions about your situation, common Toyota defects or the California Lemon Law, fill out the form below or call us at 877-222-2222 for a free lemon law consultation in as little as five minutes.