Toyota Hit with RICO Class Action Over Alleged Concealment of Hydrogen Vehicle Safety Defects

Federal lawsuit claims Toyota ran a criminal enterprise to hide catastrophic defects in its Mirai hydrogen cars, endangering drivers and violating DOJ terms.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A federal class action accuses Toyota Motor Corporation and its U.S. subsidiaries of running a criminal enterprise to conceal catastrophic safety defects in their hydrogen-powered Mirai vehicles. This is a scheme described in court filings as a decade-long fraud that endangered consumers and violated Toyota’s prior criminal settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Filed by Ingber Law Group in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the 142-page RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) complaint alleges that Toyota, its financing arm, and California dealerships coordinated to market and finance vehicles that technicians privately referred to as “ticking hydrogen bombs.”

“This lawsuit isn’t about a simple defect, it’s about organized fraud,” said Jason M. Ingber, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “Toyota engineered, financed, and controlled California’s hydrogen network, then used that control to hide safety failures and financial harm to consumers.”

According to the complaint, Toyota and its hydrogen partners — including FirstElement Fuel (True Zero) — concealed evidence of:

- Hydrogen leaks near hot engine components, creating explosion risks;

- Sudden power loss, acceleration, and braking failures leading to collisions and injuries;

- Collapsed hydrogen infrastructure, leaving drivers stranded for weeks without access to fuel; and

- Aggressive financial collection tactics by Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, targeting owners of inoperable vehicles.

The lawsuit argues that Toyota’s concealment violates its 2014 Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, in which the company admitted to concealing safety defects during its unintended-acceleration crisis and agreed to report all future safety issues truthfully.
Plaintiffs seek treble damages, injunctive relief, and a federal order halting Toyota’s hydrogen enterprise, citing a continuing pattern of mail and wire fraud. The case, Aminah Kamran et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al., is docketed as Case No. 2:25-cv-09542.

“Toyota built its reputation on trust,” Ingber said. “Our case will show how that trust is violated and why consumers deserve accountability now.”

About Ingber Law Group
Ingber Law Group represents consumers nationwide in complex litigation involving automotive fraud, product safety, and corporate accountability. The firm has led landmark consumer-protection cases in both state and federal courts.

Jason Ingber
Ingber Law Group
+1 213-805-8373
ji@jasoningber.com
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Breaking Down the Toyota Mirai Fraud

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