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Toyota drivers suing in US for a full refund

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by PriusLewis, Mar 16, 2010.

  1. PriusLewis

    PriusLewis Management Scientist

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    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100315/ap_on_bi_ge/us_toyota_lawsuits;_ylt=AlXAkwIrdyB3vY.A9D0tYNtvzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTJvNjRic3RsBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzE1L3VzX3RveW90YV9sYXdzdWl0cwRwb3MDMjYEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNzb21ldG95b3RhZHI-

    Toyota drivers suing in US for a full refund

    MIAMI – A group of Toyota owners sued the Japanese automaker Monday, demanding a full refund for their recalled cars and seeking a payout that could exceed several billion dollars. Dozens of Toyota owners in Arizona and Washington claim the vehicles recalled over incidents of sudden acceleration are so unsafe they should be able to return them immediately. Attorney Steve Berman said many of the owners no longer trust their vehicles. "When we talked with Toyota owners, they all voiced the same desire — to drive the car back to the lot, hand them the keys and pick up a check," said Berman, who is based in Seattle. "Fortunately, we think the law allows for exactly that solution, and we are asking the courts to make it happen." The new lawsuits seek class-action status, which if expanded nationwide, could mean a settlement covering about 6 million recalled Toyotas in the U.S. Dozens of other potential class-action lawsuits have also been filed against Toyota since it began recalling millions of vehicles to fix floor mats the company says can snag on the accelerator in some models and gas pedals that can get stuck in others. Critics and lawsuits contend the real problem is Toyota's electronic throttle control, which the company has denied.

    Most of the lawsuits contend the recalls have triggered a significant drop in the value of Toyotas — between 6 percent and 15 percent, according to the Kelley Blue Book used-car manual — and are seeking a cash payment for owners to compensate for that loss. Lawyers involved in those cases have estimated Toyota could have to cough up more than $3 billion, assuming a conservative $500-per-owner payment. The full refund cases take it a step further. "I don't know of any parent who would be willing to put their kids in a potentially unsafe car in exchange for a few hundred bucks," Berman said. A Toyota spokesman did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. Generally, the company has refused to comment on the lawsuits. Matt Cairns, a private attorney and member a group of lawyers that represents corporations and individuals, said he didn't think the Toyota owners should be entitled to full refunds. "If they prevail, such plaintiffs will effectively have received free transportation for the period of their ownership of a car that met their every need, something all of us would appreciate when we decide we want a new ride," said Cairns, who is the president-elect of The Voice of the Defense Bar. Cairns said Toyota owners who sell their cars may be able to get compensation for a loss in the vehicle's value following the recall.

    The full refund lawsuits come a week before a panel of federal judges will hold a hearing in San Diego on whether to consolidate more than 110 potential Toyota class-action cases before a single judge. The judge would decide whether the cases can be combined into a single "class" of affected Toyota owners and whether the case should proceed to trial. A group of attorneys filing Toyota cases nationwide — known as the Attorneys Toyota Action Consortium, or ATAC — announced Monday they are adding racketeering claims to many of their lawsuits. The attorney coordinating the effort, Northeastern University law professor Tim Howard, said Toyota has known of accelerator problems since at least 2000 and engaged in a "conspiracy to hide the truth" from consumers. "It's become increasingly apparent that Toyota profits were not built on quality products, but on a willful pattern of deception, fraud and racketeering," Howard said.

    If fraud claims are successful under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations or RICO law, Howard said, it could push total Toyota class-action damages above $10 billion.
     
  2. Dozzer

    Dozzer Prius Noob

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    oh ffs.. only in America!
     
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  3. Politburo

    Politburo Active Member

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    All cars are potentially unsafe. Go live in a cave.
     
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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  5. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    sue a company for depreciation?? good luck
     
  6. Prius 07

    Prius 07 Member

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    If they win can you imagine the precedent it would set? WOW for this to even go to court I be amazed!
     
  7. Prius 07

    Prius 07 Member

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    Tom if you keep doing that every time someone acts stupid you going to have one long lasting headache! ;)
     
  8. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I already have one, but thanks for pointing out the cause. Maybe drinking would help.

    Tom
     
  9. robbyr2

    robbyr2 New Member

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    ATAC is the racketeering party here. Legal extortion.

    I suspect friendly briefs will come in from a lot of automakers.
     
  10. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I feel sorry for Toyota.

    Not because I think these lawsuits have much of a chance, if any chance at all, but just because their existence will result in more negative headlines and more negative statements put in the public psyche.

    I, like many of us, have watched this all develop and unfold over the past few months. I never imagined it could get this bad for Toyota.

    To me the difference being that Toyota just seems unable to get themselves to a point where they are allowed to return to business. Truth is other automakers are often involved in recalls of various degrees of seriousness but usually the recall happens, the company takes a momentary hit of negative publicity, the problem is addressed and the company get's to primarily return to building and selling automobiles.

    With Toyota the publicity has been unrelentening and constantly negative. Followed with unceasing accusation of an unprovable. The accusation is that a problem exists in the electronics or software of the vehicles, although NOBODY, not even a legitimate accuser has been able to pinpoint or illuminate where or what that "flaw" is suppose to be.

    So I don't know, I just feel sorry for Toyota at this point. I've said for months now, that I think eventually everything will die down and Toyota can get back to selling cars. I guess I STILL think that will happen, but I'm actually amazed at the level of negative exposure Toyota is still facing.

    Toyota, a company that has had decades of sterling reputation for quality is now become the brunt of jokes and the focal point of adversarial lawsuits. I would of never imagined it possible. Where once I thought repair of image would be a matter of weeks or months, I now think recovery from these episodes likely to take months or years.

    Ford eventually emerged from the negative publicity of The Pinto, and I think Toyota can emerge from the "accusations" of faulty software or electronics...but it's going to take some time, and sterling or unscathed will never be adjectives you can use in description of Toyota's reputation again...ever.

    That I can only describe as sad.
     
  11. Prius 07

    Prius 07 Member

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    LOL - have one on me!
     
  12. Crazy Canuck

    Crazy Canuck New Member

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    Just when you thought things couldn't get any more ridiculous...
     
  13. Prius 07

    Prius 07 Member

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    Good observation that I share with you. After watching this clip it makes me wonder when will this end?
    Autos.CTV.ca : Toyota trouble
    Autos.CTV.ca : Toyota trouble : Canada AM: Jeremy Cato, Globe and Mail


    An automotive journalist reveals what happened when he took a Toyota Prius on a test drive after all the bad press the vehicle has received lately.
     
  14. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i personally think its all CRAP

    we are misled over the breath and depth of the negative publicity generated by an out of touch media circus we call "news."

    fact of the matter; nearly 100 million very satisfied Toyota owners

    fact of the matter; tens of millions of Toyota "families" (multiple Toyotas purchased and currently owned)

    fact of the matter; Toyota, despite news to the contrary, still makes a very good product

    fact of the matter; just like the fact that Paris fell on her nice person at some awards show not making a single teeny weeny impression on my life (despite the HUGE media coverage on it) this issue will not affect my next auto purchase.
     
  15. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I think a most of the negative publicity is crap. But unfortunately it's existence is not crap.

    It's Toyota's entrenched and interwoven existence in the lives of many people that made me think a few months ago that this would all blow over. ....I still think eventually it will...

    But real tangible damage has been done that will take much longer to reverse.

    You and I, and even the majority of Prius enthusiasts of Prius Chat might not be influenced by this negative publicity....but a lot of people will be.

    Outside of Hybrids, the truth is there is a lot of parrity and duplication in products offered between automakers. Not much difference between a Camry, or Accord, or Sonata...Malibu...

    For a lot of people when it comes time to purchase just the shadow of a doubt about an automaker can make a difference. Like I said I feel sorry for Toyota, but I can't deny that despite my personal feelings or opinions about recent events, I'm afraid a lot of people WILL be influenced.

    Toyota used to be able to sell cars based on a history of decades of sterling quality. They used to be able to sell cars based on a history of retention of a higher resale value than competitors.

    Maybe most of that can be regained with time. But at least in the short term that's not the case.

    Sad.
     
  16. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I would think that drinking would temporarily make you forget that you had a headache, but I sure wouldn't want to feel what the hang-over headache feels like when combined with the existing one....
     
  17. brad_rules_man

    brad_rules_man Hybrid electric revolutionizer

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    Makes me wish I didn't give up alcohol.
     
  18. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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  19. EZW1

    EZW1 Active Member

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    It's crap, bull dung, rabbit pellets, bird squeeze, or any other type of excrement you can think of. These people are pissed that resale value has dropped drammatically, guess what? Their actions just drove it into a tialspin.
     
  20. PriusLewis

    PriusLewis Management Scientist

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    Not if they manage to win a Full Refund! :whoo::party: