JAKARTA - Toyota is once again hit by legal problems through two latest class action lawsuits in the United States. Where, the allegation that the Japanese manufacturer's UA80 eight-speed automatic transmission is prone to premature damage, raises concerns about long-term durability to the resale value of the vehicle.
The lawsuit assesses that the problem with the UA80 transmission occurred long before the end of the normal ownership cycle, so it is considered to be detrimental to consumers. One of the plaintiffs is James LaBoutheller, as the owner of the 2020 Toyota Camry XSE.
Reported by Carscoops, Saturday, December 27, he admitted to hearing abnormal sounds from his car's transmission. After being examined by the dealer, he was told that the transmission unit had to be replaced.
Toyota is said to have agreed to provide a replacement transmission, but refused to bear the installation costs. As a result, LaBoutheller had to fork out thousands of dollars for labor costs.
In the lawsuit document, the damage to the UA80 is claimed to be due to two main factors. First, a mechanical problem in the form of excessive heat buildup in the gearbox that accelerates wear and reduces the quality of transmission fluid.
Second, the software issue is that the programming is considered wrong because it triggers too early gear shifting and activates the torque converter clutch before its time. As a result, it puts extra pressure on crucial internal components.
The lawsuit says Toyota has known about the potential problem since the endurance testing stage, even before the transmission was installed in consumer vehicles. However, the company is accused of ignoring various warning signals for years.
This ranges from internal data, customer complaints, dealer service records, to government safety submissions documenting transmission failures at early ages. Ironically, according to the plaintiffs, Toyota is actually implementing a software update that is said to exacerbate transmission wear in pursuit of fuel efficiency.
On the other hand, consumers are said to continue to be convinced that their vehicles are functioning normally. Meanwhile, warranty claims are often rejected after the car has passed a certain mileage limit, even though symptoms of the problem have appeared earlier.
LaBoutheller is now seeking to represent a group of owners and renters of affected Toyota and Lexus models across the country. He is seeking a jury trial, damages, restitution, and a court order.
The case is actually not the only one, earlier this month, a separate class action lawsuit was filed in California by Neil Pallaya, owner of a 2020 Toyota Highlander with a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with an UA80E transmission. Pallaya reported the appearance of a high-pitched hissing sound at a mileage of about 67,000 miles, which was diagnosed by the dealer as total transmission damage.
Because the warranty period has expired, Pallaya was offered a replacement cost of more than 7,400 US dollars for the unit, which he said had a similar defect. He assessed that the problem stemmed from a fundamental design error and accused Toyota of failing to provide a meaningful solution, leaving owners stuck with expensive repairs and uncertainty about long-term reliability.
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