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A Toyota Tacoma brake line recall lawsuit alleges the recall will take the plaintiff “hours of his time” and there is “no true fix” for the brake line defect.
Ohio plaintiff Michael Malainy purchased a Toyota Tacoma in 2024, but he claims his truck is now “worthless” due to the brake line recall.
The class action lawsuit doesn’t allege the plaintiff had any problems with his Toyota Tacoma, but he filed the lawsuit for more than $5 million because the Toyota brake line recall is allegedly “no more than an ineffective waste of time.”
The class action was filed about two weeks after Toyota recalled the trucks.
Toyota Tacoma Brake Line Recall
On February 6, Toyota announced a recall of about 106,000 model year 2024-2025 Tacoma 4-wheel-drive trucks in the U.S.
The Tacoma brake link recall involves trucks equipped with 16 inch brakes and 17 inch Toyota wheels.
Toyota said taking the truck off-road can cause mud and dirt to build up inside the rear wheels. The mud and dirt can damage a brake line and cause a brake fluid leak.
By the end of January and out of 106,000 trucks, Toyota knew of five field reports and 12 warranty claims in the U.S. related to the Tacoma brake lines.
Toyota Tacoma brake line recall letters are being mailed March 24, 2025, and Toyota is replacing “both rear brake hoses with improved ones.”
The Toyota Tacoma Brake Line Recall Lawsuit
The class action lawsuit includes:
“All persons in the United States who purchased a 2024-2025 Toyota Tacoma 4-wheel drive with 16 inch brakes and 17 inch wheels.”
According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Malainy learned of the defect via Toyota’s mobile application and he acknowledges the Tacoma brake line recall “includes a free fix and repair clause.”
In addition to the recall costing him hours of his time, the plaintiff asserts replacing the brake lines with improved versions won’t help because there is “no true fix for the Defect.”
“Unless Defendants are to issue a more comprehensive recall to truly fix the root cause of the Defect, it is foreseeable, and should be expected, that the Class Vehicles’ braking systems will fail once again. Defendants’ Recall is no more than an ineffective waste of time as there is no true fix for the Defect.” — Toyota Tacoma class action lawsuit
The class action doesn’t allege what a “true fix” would be, but the lawsuit says the Tacoma brake line recall “leaves more questions than answers regarding the Class Vehicles’ safety and as such results in a diminution in value for the vehicles in question.”
The lawsuit alleges Toyota “actively concealed” the brake line problems and failed to warn customers when the trucks were sold. The plaintiff complains he has been “inconvenienced” and “must spend time and money to transport himself and his defective” Tacoma to a dealership.
Additionally, he has allegedly “suffered injury in that he purchased a Vehicle that is worthless.”
“In all, Defendants’ Recall amounts to tens of thousands of hours and dollars needlessly taken from Plaintiff and other Class Vehicle owners.” — Toyota Tacoma class action lawsuit
The Toyota Tacoma brake line recall lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: Michael Malainy v. Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
The plaintiff is represented by Carpey Law, P.C.