— According to a Toyota 8-speed automatic transmission class action lawsuit, typical transmissions should last at least 200,000 miles, but the Aisin transmissions in these models allegedly fail before 60,000 miles.
- 2017-present Toyota Highlander
- 2024-present Toyota Grand Highlander
- 2018-2024 Toyota Camry
- 2017-2020 Toyota Sienna
- 2019-2022 Toyota Avalon
- 2019-present Toyota RAV4
- 2023-present Lexus RX 350
- 2021-present Lexus ES 250
- 2019-present Lexus ES 350
- 2022-present Lexus NX 250
- 2022-present Lexus NX 350
- 2024-present Lexus TX 350
The class action lawsuit includes:
"All persons who purchased or leased a Class Vehicle (as defined herein) in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all other United States territories and/or possessions."
The transmission lawsuit says Toyota owns about 25% of Aisin, and together they build transmissions that make whining noise, trigger warning lights, and cause harsh gear shifting. The vehicles will also lose power and eventually suffer from transmission failures.
The owners who sued complain the torque converters experience internal hot spots because of defective designs which cause the automatic transmission fluid to burn and degrade. The transmission and torque converter share the same fluid which fails to lubricate the components.
A lack of lubrication will destroy the 8-speed transmission due to excessive friction.
According to the Toyota transmission class action lawsuit:
"The Transmission Defect creates serious drivability and safety issues, such as hyper-frequent gear shifting, failed gear engagement, slipping, lurching, shift flare, overactive torque converter engagement and disengagement, hesitated acceleration, reduced forward motive power, and transmission noise from aggressive component wear (e.g., whining and groaning)."
The transmission lawsuit references technical service bulletins and tech tips issued to dealerships. But even when a customer service program to freely replace transmission was issued, the lawsuit claims the replacement transmissions were also defective.
According to the class action, Toyota knew the transmissions and torque converters were defective before the vehicles were first sold. But the plaintiffs complain Toyota and Aisin covered up the defects and chose to sell vehicles with dangerous transmissions that would fail.
The Toyota transmission lawsuit says Toyota has not warned customers about their defective vehicles that suffer from "dangerous" transmission and torque converter defects. The class action also asserts Toyota has not warned customers not to drive their vehicles and has not issued an 8-speed transmission recall.
And as repeated in every automotive class action lawsuit:
"Had Plaintiffs and the other Class Members known about the Transmission Defect, they would not have purchased or leased the Class Vehicles or would have paid substantially less for them."
The plaintiffs want Toyota to reimburse all customers the purchase price of the vehicles with interest from the time it was paid, and to reimburse customers for the "reasonable expenses occasioned by the sale, and damages."
The Toyota Aisin transmission lawsuit was filed by these customers:
- Lili Natale / New York / 2021 Toyota Highlander
- Laurie Charlton / Arizona / 2019 Toyota Avalon
- Natalia Ybarra / California / 2019 Toyota Camry
- Latoya Hankins / California / 2020 Toyota Highlander
- Mark Zielinski / Illinois / 2018 Toyota Highlander
- Patrick Lucignani / New Jersey / 2019 Toyota Highlander
- Victor Gutierrez / New Mexico / 2021 Toyota Highlander
- Ron Paul McKinnon / North Carolina / 2018 Toyota Camry
- William “Bill” J. Chalfant / Pennsylvania / 2018 Toyota Highlander
- Kevin Murdah / Delaware / 2020 Toyota Highlander
- Annmarie Peace / Tennessee / 2020 Toyota Highlander
The 350-page Toyota transmission lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York: Lili Natale, et al., v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.
