Toyota Sienna seat rail lawsuit moves forward after judge rejects most of Toyota's dismissal bid
A federal judge in Los Angeles has allowed warranty claims to proceed in a proposed class action over the second-row seat rails of 2025 Toyota Sienna Hybrid minivans, a model already recalled because the rails may be improperly welded.
The case, Hamblin v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (No. 2:26-cv-03458, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California), was filed on April 1, 2026 by Sienna owners from South Carolina and Ohio against Toyota's U.S. sales, North American and Indiana manufacturing companies.
The owners say Toyota recalled about 55,000 2025 Sienna Hybrid minivans in October 2025 because the second-row seat rails may have been welded improperly, but left owners waiting for a repair. Their central claim is that the warranty failed because Toyota did not repair or replace the faulty parts within a reasonable time.
Toyota asked the court to dismiss the case. In a ruling entered on October 15, 2026, the court allowed the core warranty claims to go forward while trimming other parts of the lawsuit, according to case reports. The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on October 22 and again on October 26.
The ruling is an early, pleading-stage decision. No class has been certified, and the court has not found that the seats are defective or that Toyota is liable.
The seat rail recall (25V668000) is not the only seat problem on these vans. On October 20, 2026 Toyota filed a separate recall (26V690000) covering 228,367 Sienna Hybrid 7-passenger minivans from the 2022 to 2026 model years, because the second-row seat backs may not stay secured in a crash.
Owners of 2025 Sienna Hybrids who are waiting for a repair can check whether their van is included by entering the VIN, and should keep records of every dealer visit and the time the vehicle was out of service, which matters in warranty and lemon law claims.
Owners of the vehicles involved have filed 214 safety complaints in the seats category with the federal safety agency.
Court records and sources
Vehicles involved
- Toyota Sienna Hybrid 2025 2025