Subaru and Toyota are being sued by owners over the Solterra and bZ4x’s battery. The pair of co-developed EVs has a 12-volt battery that has presented enough problems that owners have decided to file a lawsuit. The suit alleges that the EV’s 12-volt units drain rapidly, necessitating replacements far more frequently than usual.
Toyota And Subaru EV Owners Sue
Subaru
Per court filings, the plaintiffs allege many owners have run through “multiple 12-volt batteries in mere months and at 10,000 or fewer miles.” Even in EVs, a 12-volt battery should last years, not months. The issue alleges that both manufacturers have failed to properly address the issue and that dealers have failed to implement a long-term remedy, rendering Solterra and bZ4x models undrivable when the battery dies and leaving drivers stranded.
Toyota
Moreover, the suit alleges that Toyota and Subaru were aware of the issue before the pair of EVs went on sale, failing to adequately notify customers. The filings largely focus on the lead plaintiff’s experience. “The 12-volt battery equipped in Plaintiff Wade’s Class Vehicle has failed three times after only about 5000 miles of driving the vehicle. The 12-volt battery in Plaintiff Wade’s vehicle has been replaced twice since March 2023.” For whatever reason, the lawsuit does not clearly define what is causing batteries to die so rapidly, but complaints have previously been lodged with the NHTSA for the same issue.
Class action suits, unfortunately, take some time. It could be years before plaintiffs even see a verdict. Meanwhile, owners are stuck with their vehicles. However, it’s also possible that the combination of NHTSA complaints and the lawsuit pushes the automakers to issue a recall, which could help bring some relief to owners claiming to suffer from this issue. In the meantime, the case will have to work its way through the U.S. Eastern District Court of California.
