According to media reports, Toyota is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit in the United States, accused of emissions cheating with nine models of its forklift engines.
On the evening of September 22, multiple forklift purchasers filed the lawsuit against Toyota and its affiliate, Toyota Industries, in federal court in San Francisco. Toyota Industries is the world's largest forklift manufacturer.
In January of this year, Toyota's internal investigation revealed that the company sometimes altered software or swapped in different engines during emissions testing, allowing the forklifts to perform better in tests than in real-world conditions. Due to emission issues, Toyota suspended sales of certain forklifts in Japan in March 2023.
However, the plaintiffs claim that the company's misconduct first came to light after an investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but U.S. regulators have taken no enforcement action.
The plaintiffs stated, "Toyota attempted to limit the damage within Japan," but its "culture of fraud, negligence, and non-compliance" compromised forklift engine certification in all markets, including the U.S.
Toyota did not immediately comment on September 23, and the plaintiffs' attorneys also did not provide further remarks at that time.
The plaintiffs include Broadmoor Lumber & Plywood, Marders, and Ferraro Foods, which are a landscaping supply company in southern San Francisco, a nursery in Bridgehampton, New York, and an Italian food distributor in Piscataway, New Jersey, respectively.
All plaintiffs stated that they would not have purchased the forklifts had they known in advance that they did not meet emissions standards and performed worse than advertised.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages from Toyota and requests a full refund, although it does not specify the amount of damages and fines sought.
