A long-running class action lawsuit regarding errors Toyota Diesel particulate filters are not over yet, and the auto giant as well as affected owners are currently appealing last year's Federal Court ruling in the High Court of Australia.
The Supreme Court hearing will take place today.
Class action lawsuit concerns defects in diesel particulate filters (DPFs) fitted to 264,170 vehicle models HiLux, Prado And Fortuner Built from October 2015 to April 2020.
DPF is designed to capture and burn harmful pollutants.
In April 2022The Federal Court of Australia has found that these DPFs have a defect that could cause the exhaust systems of models equipped with the 2.4 liter (2GD-FTV) and 2.8 liter (2GD-FTV) turbo-diesel engines to fail. 1GD-FTV) is clogged, resulting in excessive white smoke and poor performance.
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Toyota's 2.8 liter '1GD' turbo-diesel engine
Toyota tried to fix the bug between 2016 and 2018 with software updates and a DPF toggle, and also adopted a more effective field fix in 2020 – released recently. At the same time as upgrading the engines on the display cars.
Although extended warranty coverage was provided to compensate owners, the loss in value of affected vehicles was initially ruled by the Federal Court to be 17.5% of the average retail price. of them.
This was later reduced to 10% by the Federal Court. in March 2023 after Toyota filed an appeal, although the company still estimates the payout to affected owners in the class action lawsuit could be as high as $1.3 billion.
You can read more about what happened earlier in the class action lawsuit This.
Both Toyota and the owners in the class action – represented by Gilbert + Tobin – are appealing the 2023 Federal Circuit decision in the Supreme Court.
It is understood that the class action members are seeking to restore the original 17.5% reduction in value.
Toyota continues to argue that the DPF defect does not reduce the value of the affected vehicles.
“The Supreme Court has agreed to hold a full hearing to consider the calculation of vehicle impairment damages in the DPF class action,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson said. Car expert.
“Toyota's position is that car values do not decrease.
“We remain committed to supporting any customer whose vehicle has a DPF issue and providing a free fix.
“Toyota always seeks to take engineering-based and customer-focused measures to address customer concerns.
“We apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort our customers experienced.”
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