PHILADELPHIA – A Huntingdon Valley woman claims Toyota sold her a vehicle with a deficient oxygen sensor and faulty doors, breaking federal and state commerce laws in the process.
Julia Shteyn filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on July 18 versus Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. of Plano, Texas and Faulkner Toyota Trevose, of Trevose.
According to the instant suit, on April 25, 2015, Shteyn bought a new 2015 Toyota Sienna manufactured and warranted by the defendants, and both purchased and registered in Pennsylvania. The lease price of the vehicle was in excess of $40,354.13, including registration charges, document fees, sales tax, finance and bank charges, but excluding other collateral charges not specified yet defined by the Lemon Law.
The parties’ bargain included several warranties and other guarantees, but the plaintiff claims ineffective repair attempts made by the defendant on Sept. 16, 2016, “substantially impaired” the vehicle and rendered it worthless. During the warranty period, the plaintiff discovered problems with the vehicle’s oxygen sensor and rear doors.
After being cautioned to use manual mode to close the doors rather than automatic mode and that temporary fix working for a month, the plaintiff found the doors still opening when the vehicle was in motion – and thus, returned it to the defendant to fix the issues with the doors opening because of safety concerns.
For alleged violation of the Lemon Law, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act and Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL), the plaintiff is seeking damages in an amount equal to the purchase price of the subject vehicle, plus all incidental, consequential and treble damages, collateral charges, attorney’s fees and court costs, with a total judgment not in excess of $50,000.
The plaintiff is represented by Timothy J. Abeel Jr. of Timothy J. Abeel & Associates, in Glen Mills.
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas case 170701551
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com