by Gabrielle DeSantis

Mid-August saw news of the latest Toyota class-action lawsuit and recall extravaganza, involving premature rust on frames of 4Runners from 2003-2009. Owners of this vintage 4Runner found significant portions of their car’s undercarriage rusted through, presenting a severely threatening driving experience. 

Lead Plaintiff Gary Weinreich brought this issue to Environmental Litigation Group, P.C.’s (ELG) attention when his 4Runner experienced a problem. Its steering control arm broke while Gary was driving, causing him to run off of the road. Associate Attorney Chandler Duncan spoke to us about some details surrounding the case.

How does a class-action lawsuit work?

“We were an assessment firm at first. Now we do all sorts of toxic exposures, product liability, etc.” Duncan said. She has a master’s in public health, which means this case is right up her alley. “We have 100 clients or more,” Duncan said. “Everything is still in its infancy. [A class-action lawsuit] can take a massive group, a relatively small group, a community, or a neighborhood.” Duncan said. “It varies, depending on if it’s a personal injury or toxic exposure. It all depends.” 

Duncan illustrated that a firm must prove “similarity” to mount a class-action lawsuit. In the eyes of the law, “similarity” is achieved when elements that are similar to each other can be perceived as a unified group. “Typically the plaintiff has to be similarly situated. The law doesn’t specify how many there has to be,” Duncan said, “but two isn’t enough. It could be more than 100,000.”

Could this case include personal injury?

“Currently this case is just product liability,” Duncan said, “but there is potential for it to be personal injury as well because when you have a defective vehicle, it’s very dangerous.” In this case, the lack of personal injury doesn’t necessarily make Weinreich’s case weaker, according to Duncan. 

“We still have a huge products liability issue where Toyota manufactured a defective product and then sold it to consumers,” Duncan said. “We have documentation that shows they likely knew the 4Runner was defective for a long time.” 

According to Duncan, Toyota never said anything to consumers about the rust problem. “That in and of itself is a massive lawsuit and makes a good case,” Duncan said. However, there is still room for a personal injury case. “Adding personal injury to that is just a separate case of similar proportions.”

Toyota responsible for Dana Holding Corporation’s failure

“Typically when we first get a client we’ll ask for a picture of the rust, and a copy of their title to make sure they own the vehicle,” Duncan said. “We know the defective 4Runners were manufactured from 2003-2009 by Dana Holding Corporation.” Dana Holding Corporation was founded in 1904 and supplies parts for conventional, hybrid, and electric vehicles. 

“We know Dana Holding defectively manufactured Toyota 4Runners and failed to put the anti-corrosion agent on the frame and undercarriage of the vehicle,” Duncan said. “…if you purchased a 4Runner that was manufactured between those dates it is likely defective.”

Even though Dana Holding manufactured defective parts, Toyota is still to blame. “The complaint is against Toyota North America,” Duncan said. “When you sell a product, even if it was manufactured by someone else, you’re signing off on that product being safe and sound, and good for consumer use.” Duncan continued, “Toyota had to “OK” all of the decisions.” 

Toyota settled a lawsuit for $3.4 billion in 2016, for similar frame rust issues with Toyota Tacomas from 2005-2010, Sequoias from 2005-2008, and Tundras from 2007-2008. Dana Holding supplied the frames for those vehicles as well.

When will Toyota settle the class-action lawsuit?

Duncan surmises the case is still a few years away from completing. “Large cases like this tend to take several years,” Duncan said. “The initial complaint was filed in late 2018, so it’s still kind of in its infancy.” 

ELG prides itself on treating each client with compassion. They recognize their clients put their faith in a product that turned out to be dangerous. “Our lead attorney was an industrial hygienist before he was an attorney,” Duncan said, “so he knows about chemicals and rusting, and specifics on the products liability side of this case.”

Duncan says her and her associate’s educations allow them to serve their clients better. Their combined education background “comes together to give us a modern approach to the law,” Duncan said. “We understand the law, but we also understand the science and the medicine behind these specific kinds of cases, which is extremely helpful.”

RELATED: Has Toyota Fixed the Paint Problems on Tacomas?

The post Lawyer Shares Details on Toyota Class-Action Lawsuit Over 4Runner Rust appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Car rentals at the airport are a drag, and now more than ever it’s ludicrously expensive. Sure, there’s an element of convenience getting a car right from the airport so you don’t have to sit in Ubers or taxis. But there are other alternatives that make trips far more interesting and, in some cases, can save you money. Or you can spend a little more to rent a car you’ll never forget.

Turo is revolutionizing rental cars

Turo is revolutionizing how cars are rented, with options far cheaper than any airport can compete with. I did a quick search at my local airport, and it’d cost me $26 a day to rent a brand new 2021 Toyota Camry for a three-day trip. Compared to Enterprise, the economy option is a Mitsubishi Mirage (or similar) starting at $41 a day. That feels like a no-brainer to me.

But Turo is special because these rental cars are owned by people, not companies or dealerships. They list their car on Turo and let other people drive it around to make some money on the side. And if you have a spare car lying around, you can make some money too! A full list of requirements can be found on Turo’s website, but you’ll need a car that was made 12 years ago or sooner. Sorry, your 20-year-old Honda Civic won’t cut it, unless you’re looking for a classic car.

RELATED: You Can Rent Out Your Car Using Turo

Rental classic cars are available via Hagerty

While you’re able to rent classic cars off Turo as well, I’d recommend going with Hagerty’s Driveshare program. Not only are you working with a company that insures classic cars, but there’s a lot more variety.

If you’ve ever wanted to experience that dream of driving a classic, but don’t like the commitment of ownership, this is your chance. The cheapest option I found is a 1975 Datsun 510 for just $75 a day. But the listings in my area go all the way up to a 1957 Porsche Speedster (Jerry Seinfeld owns one of these), listed at a humble $1,345 a day (yes, that was sarcasm). There are plenty of options in between that’ll fit your price range, and get your hands on a piece of history.

There are, however, some caveats. A lot of the listings on Hagerty’s Driveshare programs aren’t actually drivable. There are event listings, where the car will show up for photos, and chauffeured listings as well, which takes the stress out of driving. The listings where you get the keys tend to be more expensive, but you’ll want to make sure you’re reserving a car you can drive before you get to the airport.

Rent an RV via Outdoorsy

Picture this: you get to the airport and unload, find a free campsite, or even a Walmart parking lot you can spend a couple of nights, and drive an RV. It’ll certainly save on hotel fairs for wherever you’re going, and while you’d need a taxi to get to and from the vehicle, it’d make for some great memories.

Using Outdoorsy, you can find simple teardrop campers that strap onto the back of your truck or SUV. However, if you’re flying in from out of state, you’ll need a complete camping rig. In my area, the cheapest motorized RV can be had for $75 a night. It seats two and sleeps two, and has all the amenities you’d expect in an RV. Unfortunately, it’s almost 2 hours from the airport I’m using as a reference, which makes this option complicated.

On top of that, you need to have the proper license. You can’t just hop into a bus-sized RV and get going, unfortunately. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have a regular C-Class license. That means you can drive certain RVs, but not every RV. Do your research to make sure you can legally drive whatever vehicle you’re choosing to rent.

Oh, and speaking of “legally driving” most of these options require you to be 21 years old, with Hagerty’s Driveshare option being the exception. That requires you to be 25 years old. It’s a problem I, as a younger individual, face every time I travel alone, and there’s one decent workaround: rent a U-Haul.

RELATED: RVs vs. Hotels: Which Is Better for Your Wallet?

If you’re under 21 (and desperate), rent a U-Haul

If you’re 18 years or older, you can rent a simple U-Haul pickup truck. It seats 2 people, costs $20 on the day you grab it, and costs less than a dollar per mile. You’d have to get a taxi to get to the nearest U-Haul. But if you’re in a transportation jam, then U-Hauls can get you out.

In fact, due to rental car shortages in Hawaii, many people have used this option. It’s relatively cheap (I’d estimate $120 for an average 3-day trip, about 100 miles altogether), and easy to rent on the U-Haul website. Sure, you can’t have more than one buddy along, and it’s not exactly glamourous, but you’ll have plenty of room for your suitcases.

So whether you just need to rent a car, or are searching for an experience, there are plenty of options available to you. Just make sure you do lots of research and plan ahead, so you don’t end up stuck at the airport.

RELATED: The Charge For This U-Haul Trailer Rental Is $153,000. Plus Tax

The post Rental Car Alternatives That’ll Spice up Your Vacation appeared first on MotorBiscuit.