The legal case related to prematurely rusting cables on RAV4 hybrids has just been concluded: the agreement that allows owners of these vehicles to have this part replaced free of charge for 8 years or 160,000 km was approved on Friday.
Toyota dealers will replace these cables free of charge on affected models.1. Since this warranty extension is retroactive, people who paid for these repairs will be reimbursed, even those who signed a receipt to Toyota.
“As the judge said, such a result is not common and it is true. I am very happy for the members. Moreover, the judge was classy, he rendered his judgment really quickly,” said The Press Me Fredy Adams, who represented the members.
Judge Sylvain Lussier heard the parties on Monday. During the hearing, members spoke to criticize certain aspects of the agreement.
Motorists have argued that rust warranties should be tied to a period of use, not mileage. They say people who drive a lot risk reaching the mileage limit of the warranty before the cable has even had a chance to rust.
“This argument appears at first glance to have merit, but would have required expert evidence to that effect, and […] a modification of the request,” the judgment reads.
Moreover, requests of this kind “go beyond the scope of the action which requested that the warranty on the cable be of the same scope as that of the hybrid system”, also guaranteed for 8 years or 160,000 km, the judge continued.
People who own 2023 and 2024 Toyota hybrid models cannot be included in the settlement, since they are not eligible class members. “They remain free to bring a new class action,” the judge wrote.
In summary, he believes that the members’ lawyers made few concessions and obtained an agreement that was favourable to them.
“We must be wary of seeking perfection in a settlement. This perfection can only come from a judgment that entirely supports one of the two parties, which, as we know, does not always happen,” he wrote in the judgment.
Motorists will therefore not have to pay a cent to replace their cable, but those who have had their cable replaced in the past and who request a refund will see the total cost reduced by a few hundred dollars, due to a contribution to the Collective Action Assistance Fund, a provision provided for by law.
1. The Toyota vehicle models affected are: 2019-2022 RAV4 Hybrid AWD, 2021-2022 RAV4 Prime, 2020-2022 Highlander Hybrid AWD, 2021-2022 Sienna Hybrid AWD, 2021-2022 Venza Hybrid. The 2022 Lexus NX350h/450h+ are also included in the agreement.