Toyota Fuel Pump Lawsuit: The Denso Defect Settlement

The Defect

Many Toyota and Lexus vehicles from roughly 2013 to 2020 used a low-pressure fuel pump made by Denso with a small plastic impeller that could absorb fuel, swell and crack. When the impeller fails, the pump can stop working — causing rough running, hard starting or the engine stalling, potentially at speed. Denso told regulators the impeller’s resin was too porous; it is a part that costs cents to make but can disable a car.

Stalling in traffic is the safety concern that drove recalls of millions of vehicles — Toyota recalled well over five million globally as the issue widened.

The Settlement

Toyota and Denso reached a class-action settlement, in December 2022, that reporting valued at roughly $212 million to $288 million in total benefits (with Toyota contributing a reported $28.5 million in direct settlement funds). Owners alleged the companies knew about the defect before the recalls yet declined to cover repairs under warranty. As part of the resolution, the pump warranty was extended to 15 years, with reimbursement for prior out-of-pocket repairs. The companies denied liability.

A 15-year warranty extension is unusually long, reflecting how long the defective pumps might take to fail.

What Owners Should Know

Affected Toyota and Lexus owners should confirm the recall was completed for their VIN and keep any records of a fuel-pump replacement or stalling repair and receipts, which support a reimbursement claim. This Denso pump defect also affected other automakers, so the same caution applies across brands that used the part.