A federal judge has signaled preliminary approval of a settlement valued at roughly $436 million to resolve sweeping claims that Toyota Industries Corporation misrepresented emissions levels, that may have exceeded regulatory limits, for the internal-combustion engines powering its industrial forklifts. At the center of the deal is a $299.5 million cash fund earmarked for direct payments to class members — the business owners, contractors, warehouses and lumberyards that purchased or leased the affected equipment, often relying on Toyota's marketing that the machines were among "the cleanest" on the market.
The case, Broadmoor Lumber & Plywood Co. et al v. Toyota Industries Corp. (Case No. 3:24-cv-06640), is pending before Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Filed on January 17, 2025, the complaint alleges that Toyota and its affiliates engaged in a coordinated scheme to defeat emissions standards on forklift and construction engines used in commercial applications across the United States.
According to the allegations, Toyota altered emissions testing results and modified engine-control-unit (ECU) software during certification, causing the engines to perform one way under official test conditions and another way in real-world operation. Plaintiffs contend that Toyota then marketed the equipment as environmentally friendly — "the cleanest" and "good for the environment" — claims the lawsuit says were false and that inflated what buyers were willing to pay. Toyota disputes this. Toyota has agreed to resolve the matter through settlement; preliminary approval is not a finding of wrongdoing, and final court approval is still required before any payments are distributed.
Who May Qualify
The settlement class is broad. You may qualify if you purchased or leased a qualifying Toyota forklift on or before January 20, 2026. The equipment generally must be a Toyota-branded forklift with an internal-combustion (IC) engine, built between 2007 and 2021 and sold in the United States. Eligibility ultimately turns on the engine family — the settlement identifies four covered engine types: the 4Y, 1FS, 1KD and 1ZS — and on the specific model-and-serial number of each unit. Officers and employees of Toyota, authorized dealers and distributors, court personnel, and anyone who formally opts out are excluded from the class.
Eligible Model Numbers
The settlement documents list a range of representative model numbers tied to the covered engine families. Final eligibility is confirmed by each unit's model-and-serial number, but if your fleet includes any of the models below, it is worth reviewing your records before the deadline:
Representative Eligible Toyota Forklift Models
A Closer Look at Three Covered Machines
The covered lineup spans nearly the entire Toyota IC forklift range — from nimble three-thousand-pound warehouse trucks to fifteen-thousand-pound heavy-duty units. To understand what class members actually own, consider three representative models and the work they do every day.
The 8FGU15 sits at the entry point of the eight-series line: a gas or LP-powered, pneumatic-tire counterbalance truck rated near 3,000 pounds. Machines like it move palletized freight in and out of trucks and around yards all day, which is exactly why its emissions profile matters to the operators who run them in enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces.
At the opposite end of the range, the 8FGC70U is a heavy-duty cushion-tire machine capable of lifting on the order of 15,500 pounds. Cushion tires and a compact turning radius make it an indoor specialist — the kind of forklift that handles the heaviest loads on smooth warehouse and manufacturing floors, where continuous IC operation makes emissions performance a genuine workplace concern.
Between those extremes sits the 8FD35U, a diesel, pneumatic-tire truck rated around 7,000 pounds. This is the outdoor member of the family — the machine you see working construction sites, ports and open storage yards, where its diesel engine and rugged tires shrug off gravel and uneven ground. Precisely because diesel units run hardest and longest outdoors, the emissions-testing allegations at the heart of this case cut directly to what buyers believed they were paying for.
What the Settlement Offers — and the Deadline That Matters
Relief under the settlement comes in three parts: direct cash compensation based on claim evaluation and how each forklift qualifies; a complimentary service-plan visit for eligible equipment; and a future parts warranty if a recall is later issued. Of the total value, $299.5 million is allocated to cash payments to class members and roughly $136.5 million to service credits and other relief, with administration costs, court-approved service awards, and attorneys' fees paid from the fund rather than deducted from individual claimant shares. The exact amount each claimant receives will depend on equipment qualifications, the number of valid claims, and the final allocation formula.
The single most important date is the claim-submission deadline of September 22, 2026. Late claims typically cannot be processed, and the deadline is strict. To be ready, owners should locate purchase and lease files for Toyota IC-engine forklifts from 2007 onward, cross-check units against the 4Y, 1FS, 1KD and 1ZS engine specifications, preserve original sales and lease contracts, and build an inventory list capturing each unit's make, model and serial number — the records the administrator will use to confirm eligibility.
Why Many Claimants Turn to a Professional
Filing a business-equipment claim correctly — matching every unit to a covered engine family, documenting model-and-serial numbers, and meeting a strict deadline — is where many otherwise-eligible claimants stumble. That is why a growing number of businesses hand the process to Class Action Settlement House LLC, a renowned settlement recovery company that has collected more than $100,000,000 for its clients. Working with an experienced recovery professional means your fleet records are organized and cross-checked against the settlement's engine criteria, your documentation is assembled to the administrator's standards, and your claim is filed accurately and on time — so a paperwork error or a missed deadline does not cost you a payment you were entitled to. For fleets with multiple qualifying units, that professional review can be the difference between a partial recovery and a complete one. To see whether your Toyota forklifts qualify and to start a claim with professional guidance, Class Action Settlement House LLC can walk you through every step before the September 22, 2026 deadline.