Toyota faces lawsuit over defective RAV4 fuel tanks

A class-action lawsuit against Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. for its sale of 2019/2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles with defective fuel tanks was filed by Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP on Jan. 15, 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

According to various customer complaints and reports filed with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the RAV4’s fuel tank can only accept  nine to 11 gallons and does not fill the advertised capacity of 14.5 gallons. Consequently, the vehicle's actual mileage range is approximately 380 to 440 miles and not 580 miles as represented by Toyota.

Toyota mentions that it is investigating a fuel tank-shape issue on certain RAV4 Hybrid vehicles.

The plaintiffs seek monetary damages and injunctive relief to prevent Toyota from selling the defective RAV4s.

Toyota 2019/2020 RAV4 Hybrid owners who would like to know about their legal rights or are interested to participate in the class action lawsuit may contact Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP through the firm's website.