Update:
- U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy granted preliminary approval to a Fiat Chrysler class action settlement made to resolve claims it sold certain Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Fiat vehicles with an engine defect.
- The plaintiffs claimed Fiat Chrysler sold vehicles with a design defect that caused their engines to burn off more oil than what would be normal.
- Fiat Chrysler agreed to provide cash reimbursements, extend vehicle warranties to seven years or 100,000 miles and supply no-cost software upgrades as part of the agreement.
- The settlement agreement will benefit a class of nearly 1.7 million drivers.
- Drivers may be eligible to get $340 if they receive a service notification informing them they need an engine long block replacement, according to the settlement.
(May 5, 2020)
Fiat Chrysler has been hit with a class action lawsuit by Jeep owners who claim the company’s cars contain an engine defect that causes them to consume an excessive amount of oil.
Plaintiffs Amber Wood, Ashley Schuchart, Karen Burke and Danielle Oates say their Jeep vehicles, which are equipped with a 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir Engine II, consume too much oil, causing the oil pressure to drop dangerously low before recommended oil changes.
The plaintiffs claim the oil consumption defect can cause the vehicles can shut down during normal operation, which places the driver at risk of serious injury.
Wood, a citizen of Illinois, alleges she purchased a 2018 Jeep Compass from Bettenhausen Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM in Tinley Park, Illinois. She claims her vehicle is equipped with a defective 2.4L Tigershark Multi Air engine and fails to function safely, as advertised.
Wood says that, before she purchased the Fiat Chrysler vehicle, she reviewed the window sticker that was placed on the vehicle which advertised the car’s various features. She claims that she relied on the advertisements contained on the window sticker when deciding to purchase the vehicle.
The plaintiff says since purchasing the car, she has experienced excessive oil consumption and oil indicator lights persistently in the vehicle. While driving her car to work and making a left turn, the Fiat Chrysler vehicle shut off and would not move, she says.
Wood states she was finally able to get the car to start; once she got home, she called the dealership where she purchased the car.
She brought the vehicle to the dealership and was told the vehicle was sucking down oil and needed a new motor, the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit alleges.
The dealership then replaced the engine, but Woods argues the oil indicator light recently came on even though it was only 2,000 miles since her last oil change.
“FCA never told Plaintiff about the Oil Consumption or Oil Indicator defects, so Plaintiff purchased her Affected Vehicle on the reasonable, but mistaken, belief that her Affected Vehicle would be reliable and safe and would retain all of its operating characteristics throughout its useful life,” the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit goes on to say.
Wood explains she purposefully shopped for a Fiat Chrysler Jeep vehicle because she believed the advertising that went along with the car meant they were safe and reliable.
She states none of the advertisements disclosed there was a defect in with the engine and that Fiat Chrysler would refuse to repair the defects.
Wood says in the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit that, if the company had disclosed that her vehicle had the oil consumption and oil indicator defects, she would not have purchased the vehicle or would have paid less for it.
Other plaintiffs in the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit allegedly experienced similar issues due to an underlying defect affecting all of their vehicles.
The FCA class action lawsuit points to a March 2019 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaint regarding a 2015 Jeep Cherokee which states that a dealership indicated that there is an oil consumption issue having to do with the pistons.
Another complaint to the NHTSA, lodged in 2020, states that an owner of a 2019 Jeep Cherokee required a new engine because the piston rings in the engine broke and scored the cylinder which led to the engine to consume too much oil.
“Because of the Oil Consumption defect, the Class Vehicles are prone to sudden and unexpected shut down, creating unsafe driving conditions when the vehicle stalls or shuts off without warning,” the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit argues.
The Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit alleges that prior to 2013, consumers had complained that some of the vehicles in the class were not powered enough. In response, the larger yet defective 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir II Engine allegedly supplanted the older engines.
The Class vehicles that were equipped with the new defective engine are 2015-2016 Chrysler 200, 2013-2016 Dodge Dart, 2016-2020 Fiat 500X, 2017-2020 Fiat Toro, 2014-2020 Jeep Cherokee, 2017-2020 Jeep Compass, 2015-2020 Jeep Renegade and 2015-2020 Ram ProMaster City.
“Owners of these vehicles are terrified of sudden, unexpected engine stalls, and left empty-handed by FCA dealerships and technicians who continue to ignore this serious safety hazard,” counsel for the plaintiffs said in a statement.
“It’s only a matter of time before this defect leads to a fatality, with millions of affected vehicles sold by FCA on the road.”
Do you own one of the class vehicles and are having trouble with the engine? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiffs are represented by Steve W. Berman and Elaine T. Byszewski of Hagens, Berman, Sobol, & Shapiro; E. Powell Miller of the Miller Law Firm; and Jeffrey S. Goldenberg and Todd Naylor of Goldenberg Schneider LPA.
The Fiat Chrysler engine defect class action lawsuit is Amber Wood, et al. v. FCA US LLC, Case No. 2:20-cv-11054, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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350 thoughts onFiat Chrysler class action over faulty engine claims settled with extended warranties
have 2017 cherokee bought from phillips chrysler in ocala fl, was a lease car was assured car was a 1 shape because it was certified with all kinds of inspections and service had to be done was told only things that had been worked on was water hose and oil leak,, not so i found previous owner a lady 76 yr,s old she says reason for turning car in was the oil light coming on never a leak checked dip stick and found markings on stick for oil consumption test, so they knowingly sold me a defective car what recourse do i have ?? thx
I own a 2017 Renegade with a 2.4L Tigershark. I am experiencing loss of oil on average of 1 quart every 2000 miles. I perform my own oil changes and did not notice any loss when it was brand new. I now have 40,000 miles on it.
I have a 2018 Jeep Compass and multiple times now since buying it brand new..it has turned off while driving and the low oil light has flashed quick while turning a corner. The first two times it happened I checked the oil and it was down about 1-2 qts. This last time it happened…it was down THREE QUARTS and I’ve only put 3173 miles on it since my last oil change! The low oil light needs to alert us way before the engine starts doing its thing of shutting off while driving! A brand new vehicle shouldn’t be burning oil like this at all…I’ve had cars for 15 yrs that have never burned an ounce of oil. This engine needs to be RECALLED. I would like to know how I can get in on this class action suit!!
2018 Fiat 500X. Purchased new. Current mileage at 22,000 miles. On two separate occasions recently, the car shut down during a routine left-hand turn. Dealer says to monitor oil level and bring car back after 1500 miles for an oil consumption test. This is a highly dangerous situation and a reckless approach to correcting an obvious manufacturing defect.
My 2018 Trailhawk Renegade with just over 26,000 miles has been in the shop since 10/26 awaiting approval for a new engine.
I’ve been out of work so I was driving for Lyft to keep afloat. Sure would be nice to have my vehicle back so I can work.
I have a 2018 Compass Latitude with 32,800 miles. Twice now in the past week the emergency brake has activated and the car shut down. Dealer said there was no oil. How come this is happening NOW after 2 1/2 years owning the vehicle? Dealer advised I should be checking the oil level every other fill-up. How ridiculous! When the car did shut down, there was no warning. No “change oil” light, no “check engine” indicator. And how can this be a “safety” feature when the car just shuts down in the roadway?
This sounds more like the issue. Found this on the Internet: “Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling 357 2018 Jeep Cherokee and Compass SUVs because they’re at risk for engine stalling, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In these vehicles, the 2.4L engine may have a cracked oil pump housing that can lead to oil pump failure and stalling, NHTSA said”
I own a 200 and have had it in the shop many times. No resolution.
2017 500x – Bought for daughter who is a new driver. Bought at 25K miles and the oil had been changed just before purchase. About 2500 miles later, the car completely stalled with my 16 year old daughter behind the wheel on a 45 mile an hour road where drivers speed often. The cutting of the engine was extremely dangerous. I set up an appointment at the dealership, and was told that we would need to wait over 2 weeks for an appointment. I was thankfully able to move the date up 6 days, but still had to wait over a week even though the car was not safe to drive and under the original, factory warranty. Fiat roadside service towed the car to the dealership where it still sits. I was not given a loaner car until they had the car over 3 weeks! It was determined that the car was using about 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles! The 2.4 Tigershark was replaced but now it won’t start. New BCM and PCM parts have been purchased for possible replacement, or so I’ve been told. I keep asking how they’ll know if the car is fixed- if it’s the same engine, how will the replacement fix the problem? I have been assured it will be fine and the dealership has had to replace “30-40” of these. I am left wondering, HOW is this NOT a recall? My daughter could have been in a very serious accident and I’m worried about letting her drive it even when the car is running again. The dealership has been doing what they can and really should not have to deal with the extra burden of fixing such a serious issue on so many cars- it has to be overwhelming them. I will wait as patiently as possible and count my lucky stars that no one was hurt! I usually do not post comments and such, but I think people should be informed about situations like this.
2016 Jeep Compass. My car is literally sitting because I drove it to Barstow and it wouldn’t turnover at all. The engine stalled and I had to be towed. $600 later and i was home. Took it to the dealership and nothing was wrong. It’s been sitting ever since because the engine started “skipping” on my way home (10 minutes away). I’m still paying on a car I am to scared to drive because no one can “fix” it. Please add me, thank you
I own a 2014 Jeep Cherokee and have this same exact problem.. i called once about it and they just feed my husband a line of bull… I have also had a problem with it accelerating when try to slow down..