Key facts
- Toyota's philanthropic arm is accused of stealing technology for a three-wheel electric vehicle.
- The technology was intended for use by poor farmers.
- A class-action lawsuit filed in California seeks over $5.7 billion in damages.
- The suit targets Toyota Mirai hydrogen-powered vehicles sold between 2016 and 2025.
- Plaintiffs allege the cars have safety defects including hydrogen leaks and propulsion loss.
- One plaintiff reported a spinal injury due to "brake-accelerator confusion."
Toyota is facing two separate lawsuits, one concerning its philanthropic arm's alleged theft of technology for a three-wheel electric vehicle and another involving its hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan.
A lawsuit filed in California claims that Toyota's philanthropic arm stole technology intended for a three-wheel electric vehicle designed to assist poor farmers. The specifics of the technology and the intended end-use remain unclear.
Separately, three California owners of Toyota's hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking over $5.7 billion in damages. They allege that Toyota knowingly sold defective and unsafe vehicles, citing issues such as hydrogen leaks, propulsion loss, and "brake-accelerator confusion" that reportedly led to a spinal injury for one driver. The lawsuit, which covers Mirai models sold or leased between 2016 and 2025, also claims that Toyota engineered the limited hydrogen infrastructure to hide these failures. One incident involved a hydrogen station in Torrance that allegedly rendered at least 75 Mirais inoperable due to contamination. Toyota has reportedly acknowledged challenges with Mirai ownership and offered case-by-case solutions like fuel credits and reimbursements.