Chrysler Class Action Lawsuit Says UConnect Infotainment System Is Defective

A class action lawsuit claims that the UConnect infotainment systems in the 2017- 2019 Pacifica and other vehicles can freeze and stop working, posing a range of safety hazards for drivers and others.

The Chrysler UConnect defect class action lawsuit was filed by Edward Pistorio and Paul Murdock, drivers who say that the UConnect infotainment systems in their vehicles do not live up to advertisements by the vehicle manufacturer, FCA.

They claim that they experienced problems like screen freezing, loss of backup camera, unintended reboots, loss of navigation system functionality, and others.

Allegedly, these issues plagued previously released versions of UConnect, but were not sufficiently resolved by the company by the time 2017- 2019 Pacifica and Chrysler 300 were released onto the market.

In their Chrysler infotainment problems class action lawsuit, Pistorio and Murdock recount why they chose to purchase their vehicles, and the problems they then experienced with a main feature of the vehicle — the UConnect infotainment system.

Pistorio says that he purchased a new 2017 Chrysler 300S in his home state in Florida. According to Pennsylvania resident Murdock, he purchased a new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica from a dealer in Pennsylvania. The two drivers say that they both prioritized safety and reliability when making their purchasing decisions.

They share how they conducted research online before buying a vehicle, perused dealership websites, and test drove vehicles to get a good sense of the features, safety, and functionality of a vehicle that they wished to purchase. Allegedly, neither of them were notified of a defect in the UConnect system and instead were told of its reliability and wide-ranging functionality.

According to the consumers, FCA was aware of the defect in the systems, and should have told customers about it. They explain that had they been aware of the defect in the UConnect systems, they would not have purchased their vehicles or would not have paid as much for them.

Pistorio and Murdock go on to explain that, within just a few months of purchasing their vehicles, they began to experience problems with the UConnect system malfunctioning. They claim that the the screen in the system would often turn black and reboot, on a frequent basis. Allegedly, this would occur at least weekly, and would sometimes happen multiple times during a single trip. 

The screen turning black would allegedly disable the backup camera, navigation, and other important features. The drivers go on to state that other features in the system were affected, including GPS, Bluetooth, and audio system functions.

The drivers say that this problem posed a safety risk, because these can affect a driver’s ability to steer, navigate accurately, and reach a destination safely. Additionally, the lack of functionality can pose as a distraction to drivers, say Pistorio and Murdock, putting the drivers and others at risk for a crash.

The Chrysler infotainment system class action lawsuit says that Chrysler has not provided sufficient repairs or compensation for the issue at hand.

Allegedly, the company first implemented the UConnect system in 2004, and soon after the first version of the system was introduced, drivers began experiencing problems.

This issues have supposedly been well-documented by consumer complaints and technical bulletins, resulting in a recall of earlier generation UConnect devices.

Despite the recall and the company’s alleged knowledge of the issues, the problems persist, say Pistorio and Murdock. 

According to the FCA class action lawsuit, the company regularly conceals the UConnect defect problem to consumers, sometimes by informing them that their vehicle is working well when they bring it in for a repair. In other instances, the company will allegedly conduct repairs that mask but do not fix the problem.

Additionally, the problem is reportedly not often covered under warranty — the Chrysler infotainment problem class action lawsuit argues that it should be, but instead, customers are often required to pay out-of-pocket for repairs.

Have you experienced problems with a Chrysler UConnect system? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Pistorio and Murdock are represented by E. Powell Miller, Sharon S. Almonrode, Emily E. Hughes, Dennis A. Lienhardt, and William Kalas of The Miller Law Firm PC; Laurence Deutsch and Jeffrey L. Osterwise of Berger Montague PC; Steven R. Weinmann, Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett, and Trisha K. Monesi of Capsone Law APC; and by Joshua H. Haffner and Graham G. Lambert of Haffner Law PC.

The Chrysler UConnect Infotainment System Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Edward Pistorio, et al. v. FCA US LLC, Case No. 2:20-cv-11838, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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