Tae Hee Lee v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

992 F. Supp. 2d 962, 82 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 391, 2014 WL 211462, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9218
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedJanuary 9, 2014
DocketNo. CV 13-7431-JFW (VBKx)
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 992 F. Supp. 2d 962 (Tae Hee Lee v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tae Hee Lee v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., 992 F. Supp. 2d 962, 82 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 391, 2014 WL 211462, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9218 (C.D. Cal. 2014).

Opinion

PROCEEDINGS (IN CHAMBERS): ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.’S MOTION TO DISMISS THE FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT [filed 11/25/13; Docket No. 15]

JOHN F. WALTER, District Judge.

On November 25, 2013, Defendant Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (“Toyota”) filed a Motion to Dismiss the First Amended Complaint (“Motion”). On December 9, 2013, Plaintiffs Tae Hee Lee (“Lee”) and Alan Quan (“Quan”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) filed their Opposition. On December 16, 2013, Toyota filed a Reply. Pursuant to Rule 78 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Local Rule 7-15, the Court found the matter appropriate for submission on the papers without oral argument. The matter was, therefore, removed from the Court’s December 30, 2014 hearing calendar' and the parties were given advance notice. After considering the moving, opposing, and reply papers, and the arguments therein, the Court rules as follows:

I. Factual and Procedural Background

A. The PCS

The Advanced Technology Package is an option available on certain Prius vehicíes. The Advance Technology Package includes a navigation system, a dynamic radar cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and a pre-collision system (“PCS”). Although Plaintiffs’ only complaint involves one aspect of the PCS, in order to understand Plaintiffs’ claims, it is necessary to understand each function of the PCS. The PCS provides multiple integrated pre-collision features that are automatically engaged depending on the specific pre-collision scenario involving a frontal collision and the driver’s reaction to that scenario. As described in the owner’s manual, the PCS includes the following functions: (1) pre-collision seat belts (front seat belts only1;(2) pre-collision brake assist2; and (3) automatic pre-collision braking.3 If a Prius equipped with PCS detects a possible collision, the driver is warned and the seat belts automatically tighten in anticipation of a collision. If the driver reacts to the warning and applies the brake pedal, the system applies greater braking force to shorten the stopping distance in an attempt to prevent, or lessen the impact of a crash. If the driver does not attempt to affirmatively apply the brakes, the PCS automatic pre-collision braking automatically applies the brakes to reduce the collision speed when the collision is unavoidable. Plaintiffs do not challenge the efficacy of the pre-collision seat belts or the pre-collision brake assist. With respect to the automatic pre-collision braking function, Plaintiffs do not challenge the adequacy of the warning light, display, and buzzer. Instead, Plaintiffs limit their [968]*968claims to the automatic braking feature of the pre-collision braking function. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege in their First Amended Complaint that only a “negligible” reduction in speed is achieved by the automatic pre-collision braking function, and, thus, the automatic pre-collision braking function is ineffective. First Amended Complaint (“FAC”), ¶¶ 3 and 5.

B. The Plaintiffs

Lee alleges that he purchased a “used” 2010 Toyota Prius on September 30, 2010, from a BMW dealership. FAC, ¶ 12. Lee does not allege that he received or reviewed any materials from Toyota about the PCS or the automatic pre-collision braking feature, or that he saw any advertisements by Toyota discussing those features before deciding to purchase his Prius. See id., ¶¶ 11-15. Instead, Lee alleges that he “searched online for information about” the PCS at various “vehicle review sources,” which described “PCS as providing automatic braking in unavoidable frontal collision accidents.” Id., ¶ 14. However, Lee does not identify any specific statements or authors of those statements. Id. Lee does not allege that he read the owner’s manual or any applicable warranty material before making his purchase. Lee has never experienced any problems with his vehicle’s automatic precollision braking feature and he has never been involved in an unavoidable frontal collision in which the vehicle did not slow automatically before impact. Lee alleges, in conclusory fashion, that the “PCS was ineffective or not included as part of the options package purchased.” Id., ¶ 17.

Quan alleges that he purchased a new 2012 Toyota Prius on January 1, 2013. Id., ¶¶ 20-21. Quan alleges that he paid $5,580 for an “Advanced Technology Package” that included a PCS. Quan also alleges that he decided to purchase his vehicle based on his review of a brochure and “listening to the salesperson,” who “deserib[ed] the safety value of crash mitigation in rear-end accidents provided by the PCS by automatically applying the brakes in unavoidable frontal collisions.” Id. ¶ 22. Quan does not specify any particular statement by Toyota that he read or heard before making his purchase that he now claims might be false. In addition, although Quan alleges that he was “provided an owner’s manual,” he does not state when he received that owner’s manual (■i.e., before or after his purchase) or whether he read it before making his purchase. Id. Quan has never had any negative experience with his vehicle or its automatic precollision braking feature.

C. The IIHS Test

Plaintiffs’ claims are based on a September 27, 2013 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”)4 report detailing the results of its testing of the automatic precollision braking feature on various vehicles, including a 2013 model year Prius v.5 The IIHS reported that the 2013 Prius test vehicle did brake automatically and did reduce the vehicle’s speed prior to a frontal collision under IIHS test conditions.6 However, the report concluded [969]*969that the tested Prius model did not automatically reduce speed to the extent IIHS had subjectively determined qualified for its own “advanced” rating.7

The protocol for the IIHS test procedure included driving the test vehicle at two speeds (12 mph and 25 mph) towards a target “designed to simulate the back of a car,” and graded the vehicle’s performance based on a point scale. See September 27, 2013 IIHS Report (attached as Exhibit 2 to the Declaration of J. Gordon Cooney, Jr.), pp. 2-4. Vehicles equipped with an autobraking capability (like the PCS) and registering specified speed reductions in the IIHS test were awarded points on an escalating scale depending on the degree to which the vehicle was slowed. Id. Vehicles which registered speed reductions greater than 5 mph were awarded an “advanced” rating, but those which registered reductions greater than 0 mph but less than 5 mph received no points.8 Id. The 2013 Prius model tested by IIHS did register speed reductions, but because those reductions were less than the 5 mph criteria set by IIHS, it did not earn any rating points under IIHS’ private rating system. Declaration of J. Gordon Cooney, Jr., Exh. 3. Specifically, the IIHS report on the test 2013 Prius vehicle’s actual performance indicates that “impact speed was reduced by 1 mph” in “the 12 mph IIHS test” and that “impact speed was reduced by 2 mph” in “the 25 mph test.” Id.

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Bluebook (online)
992 F. Supp. 2d 962, 82 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 391, 2014 WL 211462, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9218, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tae-hee-lee-v-toyota-motor-sales-usa-inc-cacd-2014.