Sign Up for Toyota Class Action Lawsuit
Toyota class action lawsuit is currently open:
Those who meet eligibility criteria should apply before the deadline December 16, 2026. Toyota's $78.5M settlement over airbag control units the lawsuit says can fail in a crash: recall expenses, residuals of up to $250 and a 12-year parts warranty.
Toyota Class Action Lawsuit
Owners and lessees of Toyota vehicles sued Toyota, the airbag control unit maker ZF-TRW and other companies in a multi-district litigation formed in August 2019, saying that certain airbag control units can fail in a crash. The lawsuit claims that ZF-TRW airbag control units installed in about 4.9 million Toyota vehicles can malfunction when exposed to electrical overstress, preventing airbags and other safety systems from deploying as designed. Toyota denies the allegations, and the court did not decide who was right.
According to the complaint, the units contain a chip that is more susceptible than competing designs to damage from voltage surges, and it was chosen because it was cheaper. Plaintiffs allege Toyota knew or should have known about the defect but continued selling affected vehicles without adequate disclosure. These legal claims focus on consumer protection violations, defective design, and economic losses tied to vehicle value. Toyota recalled certain of these vehicles on January 17, 2020 (NHTSA Recall No. 20V-024).
The multi-district litigation, In re ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litigation, was established on August 8, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-MRW, before Judge John A. Kronstadt. Eleven owners and lessees brought the claims against Toyota, represented by co-lead counsel at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein and Baron & Budd. The court granted final approval of the Toyota settlement on November 28, 2023. Two objectors appealed, and the Ninth Circuit dismissed that appeal on December 11, 2025.
Toyota Class Action Settlement - $78,500,000
The Toyota Airbag Control Unit settlement resolves the claims against Toyota in a nationwide safety case covering about 4.9 million vehicles. The settlement amount totals $78.5 million, and the court granted final approval on November 28, 2023, after more than four years of litigation and negotiations overseen by Settlement Special Master Patrick A. Juneau.
The $78.5 million is made up of a $65 million settlement fund, a $3.5 million outreach program to raise recall participation, and a $10 million credit to Toyota for providing future loaner vehicles and outreach. Out of the settlement fund, the court approved $25,472,730.40 in attorneys' fees and service awards of $2,500 for each of the 11 class representatives, and notice and administration were estimated at $6.3 million to $7 million.
Under the agreement, Toyota also committed to a 12-year extended warranty on new parts installed under the recall and a 10-year inspection program for vehicles in frontal crashes where an airbag or seatbelt did not deploy. Eligible class members may also receive reimbursement for qualifying out-of-pocket expenses and residual cash payments of up to $250, depending on participation.
The Toyota Airbag Control Unit settlement eligibility includes current and former owners and lessees of covered Toyota vehicles distributed in the United States and its territories.
Deadline for filing a claim: December 16, 2026
Airbag Class Action Payout: Up to $250 plus documented expenses
The Toyota Airbag Control Unit settlement amount per person depends on what each class member spent and how many valid claims are submitted. The settlement first reimburses documented out-of-pocket costs tied to the recall, such as rental cars, transportation, towing, childcare, repair costs for the airbag control unit, or lost wages. Those reimbursements are not capped at $250.
Class members who did not incur expenses can register for a residual cash payment, capped at $250 per class member, which is paid only after reimbursements, administrative costs, and court-approved fees are paid. The residual is split equally among eligible class members who claimed expenses or registered. Money left after that goes to a charitable recipient the court approves, not back to Toyota.
According to the notice, expense claims are paid on a rolling basis starting within 60 days after final approval and the end of any appeals, after eligibility verification. The court granted final approval on November 28, 2023, and an objectors' appeal was dismissed on December 11, 2025. Residual payments to eligible class members come after the claims deadline.
Consumer Product Liability Class Action Payouts
Airbag Class Action Eligibility
The Toyota Airbag Control Unit class action eligibility focuses on whether a vehicle contained a ZF-TRW airbag control unit that, according to the lawsuit, is vulnerable to electrical overstress (EOS). The class covers current and former owners and lessees, as of July 31, 2023, of the Toyota vehicles listed in the settlement, whether or not an airbag ever failed and whether or not the vehicle was recalled.
What you can claim depends on your costs, not on an airbag failure. With no expenses, you may be eligible for a residual cash payment (up to $250, if funds remain). If the recall left you with documented costs, you may be eligible for reimbursement tied to actual expenses (rental cars, transportation, towing to a Toyota dealer, childcare during the repair, unreimbursed repair costs for the airbag control unit, and lost wages). The settlement does not pay for vehicle damage, property damage or personal injury from an airbag that did or did not deploy, and class members keep their right to sue over those.
Airbag Class Action Claim Form
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FAQ
The lawsuit alleges certain Toyota vehicles contain ZF-TRW airbag control units vulnerable to electrical overstress, which can prevent airbags and safety systems from deploying properly during a crash.
No. Eligibility is based on owning or leasing a qualifying Toyota vehicle with the affected airbag control unit, not on proving an airbag failure occurred.
The class covers every listed Toyota vehicle with a ZF-TRW airbag control unit, recalled or not. Owners of unrecalled vehicles can register for a residual payment, can claim recall expenses if their vehicle is recalled before the claims deadline, and are covered by the 10-year inspection program.
Eligibility is confirmed using your VIN to identify whether your vehicle was built with a ZF-TRW airbag control unit covered by the settlement.
Besides cash, this settlement includes a 10-year inspection program for listed vehicles in frontal crashes where an airbag or seatbelt did not deploy, and a 12-year extended warranty on new parts installed under the recall.
No. The settlement does not pay for damage or injury from an airbag that did or did not deploy, and class members keep the right to sue over those. What adds to a claim is documented out-of-pocket expense tied to the recall.
Eligible expenses include rental cars and transportation while waiting for the recall repair, towing to a Toyota dealer, childcare during the repair, unreimbursed costs of repairing the airbag control unit, and lost wages from dropping off or picking up the vehicle.
The settlement agreement sets the cap. Residual payments come from what is left after expense claims, fees and costs are paid, and are split equally among eligible class members who claimed expenses or registered, up to $250 each unless the parties agree to a higher cap.
According to the notice, expense claims are paid on a rolling basis starting within 60 days after final approval and the end of any appeals. Final approval came on November 28, 2023, and an objectors' appeal was dismissed on December 11, 2025. Residual payments to eligible class members come after the claims deadline.
Related cases
Sources
These are the court's own records for this case. They are hosted here unchanged, so you can check anything on this page against the documents themselves.
- Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, Volume One (Factual Allegations) (PDF) Complaint · Filed September 28, 2022 · United States District Court, Central District of California · Case 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-MRW
- Order Granting Preliminary Approval of the Toyota Class Settlement and Direction of Notice (PDF) Court order · Filed July 31, 2023 · United States District Court, Central District of California · Case 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-MRW
- Order Granting Final Approval of the Toyota Class Settlement and Award of Attorneys' Fees, Expenses, and Service Awards (PDF) Court order · Filed November 28, 2023 · United States District Court, Central District of California · Case 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-MRW
- Judgment (All Cases Against Toyota) (PDF) Court order · Filed November 28, 2023 · United States District Court, Central District of California · Case 2:19-ml-02905-JAK-MRW
The full case file is on the court docket: view the docket.