A Chicago woman filed a lawsuit against Uber, claiming that she leased an unsafe vehicle from the company which left her unable to make loan payments and without a reliable vehicle. The woman, who is a single mom, leased a 2015 Chevy Malibu from Uber. The vehicle only had 15 miles on it.
The woman worked as a driver for Uber and says that she was told to expect that she would make more than enough money as a driver to make the lease payments on the vehicle. She also believed that her flexible schedule as a driver would give her the freedom to pick up her daughter from school.
Instead, the woman claims that the car she got was unsafe and undriveable. She asked Uber for a replacement vehicle, which she says could not be used to give rides using the Uber app. This left the woman unable to make her loan payments.
Another woman joined the plaintiff in her lawsuit. Both women began driving with Uber through its auto-leasing business called Xchange Leasing. Their attorney says that Uber came up with its auto leasing program in order to push predatory lending terms on minority drivers who did not have vehicles. According to the lawsuit, the program was intended to provide vehicles to drivers with low credit scores. The lawsuit also alleges that down payments and lease payments were much higher than advertised.
Uber shut down its leasing program after discovering that it was losing a large amount of money per car. The FTC filed a complaint against Uber, claiming that it misled drivers with exaggerated earning claims. Uber agreed to pay $20 million to settle those FTC charges. The plaintiff in this case alleges that she was told she would make $6,000 a month, but that she only took home about $10 an hour after gas and mileage. She also claims that she almost got into an accident while driving an Uber passenger because the lease car would not go more than 20 miles an hour at the time.
Uber and Lyft have been facing a barrage of lawsuits in recent months. Most are due to the companies’ failure to properly vet drivers, which has led to assaults, accidents, and other dangers to riders. If you have been injured by the wrongful actions of a driver for Uber or Lyft, you should speak with an attorney. If you are in Los Angeles, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.