Toyota owners are getting frustrated as accidents, more recalls, and lack of permanent fixes permeate the media.
Now, many owners are not waiting for an accident to happen before they sue. Google/Associate Press reports that groups are suing the automaker, demanding a full refund for their recalled vehicles.
In Arizona and Washington, Toyota drivers are claiming that the vehicles recalled due to unintended acceleration are so unsafe that owners should be allowed to return them immediately. In these suits, lawyers are seeking payment for compensation for the loss. Lawyers involved in these cases estimate that Toyota may have to pay more than $3 billion assuming that the court rules that a payment be made of $500 to each owner. Also, these lawsuits are seeking class action status and, if expanded nationwide, could cover about 6 million vehicles in the U.S.
Worse, a group of attorneys known as the Attorneys Toyota Action Consortium (ATAC) are adding racketeering charges to their suits. They assert that Toyota knew of the acceleration problem since at least 2000 and engaged in a “conspiracy to hide the truth” from consumers. It this tactic works, then Toyota may have to pay more than $10 billion for class action damages.
The bottom line for Toyota is that it could be making payouts exceeding several billion dollars.
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