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
Same as the other complaints. The vehicle shuts down and also drinks about a quart of oil every 2000 miles. It’s a 2018 jeep Cherokee
In date Dec 1st I booked an appointment at Walnut Creek Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Service for Dec 3rd at 9:00 am for Recall W84 (because I received a post card from FCA) and because the engine stall unexpectedly while driving and the ‘check engine light’ was on (I described this problem in online form in service website).
For the stall problem, I found myself in unsafety situation because the car turns off when I was driving, risking being buffered.
On Dec 2nd in the evening, I was driving from work to home and suddenly the engine overheated, I stopped the car and I called AAA service that tow my car to the dealer. We left the car in Tow Parking. The car smelled strongly of burning.
The service was closed, but the dealer was open, so one vendor showed me wherein put my car’s key: in an envelope and after in the service mailbox. I wrote on the envelope that the engine was overheated and that I’ve already booked an appointment for day after so they could check and fix the others’ problems.
In date Dec 8th evening they told me that my car was “ready” to be picked up, so on Dec 9th in the morning I picked it up. I paid a bill of $2,300 (the invoice is attached).
On the morning of Dec 10th, I was driving to work and the ‘check engine light’ turned on again. I was closed to the dealer, so I stopped there immediately.
They checked the car and told me that they have to do additional work: changing 4 spark plugs & ignition coils and also the oil (that they didn’t change in the previous service, nonsense because they wrote in SAFETYINS 31 POINT INSPECTION: engine oil low on arrival and oil life at 16%). The billed me for more $ 1,040.12 for spark plugs & ignition coils, and $ 130.81 for oil change.
I agreed to let them to do this last intervention and have my car finally fixed. I waited there for 2 hours, after that they told me that the car failed the drive test. They told me that the problem could be related to the engine, and they would check it the day after. I asked for a courtesy car, but they said they didn’t have any available.
On Saturday Dec 11th at 2:30 pm they called me, they told me that they cannot see the problem without engine teardown (additional $ 1,599.60) but they couldn’t do it until Tuesday Dec 14th.
Yesterday Dec 15th they told me that the engine was damaged and must be replaced ($10,809.21).
When I asked why my engine overheated, they replay that they found the thermostat was completely failed and cause the overheating. They replaced it in first service. Yesterday I found out that what happened to my car is well-known problem. The engine 2.4 L came out defective from the factory. There was a class action about it.
Also, the recall W84 is related to the excessive use of oil: Customer Satisfaction Notification W84 – Powertrain Software Update Page 2. FCA US has determined that 270,667 of the above vehicles may have an engine. that consumes more oil than usual under certain operating conditions like. continuous stop and go driving. The condition results when a combination of.
This is what I’ve figured out: the engine is defective and uses too much oil, the car doesn’t have any light that shows the oil level, the engine overheated due to the lack of oil, the overheated damage the engine.
Nobody at the service told me about the issue that this engine had. I left my car for overheated problem with burning smell and after 5 working days of service, they let me go with an unsafety car again.
Wow after all that money spent could of been a deposit on a new vehicle. What was the end result
2016 fiat 500x No warning just stalled. 700 miles till the next oil change. Completely out of oil!
Was alerted that there was a recall due to over oil consumption. Had an appointment to bring it in for “update” they say but car has stalled numerous times shutting off while turning in traffic. Cars had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting me. It’s a scary safety issue. Not to mention the jerking and hard shifting that they claimed was fixed but was not.
I have a 2016 Fiat 500X AWD I purchased in 2018. I noticed the problem a year into ownership. Low oil pressure warning lights and when I’d go to make a turn or just driving normal on a street it will completely stall out on me. One time I had the oil check between oil changed after the stall and my mechanic said there was barely any oil. I also received the recall notice on oil consumption so I the tool my car to a Fiat dealership in Maple Shade, NJ. My car failed the test and they’ve indicated that I’ll now receive a new engine for my car. Has anyone received the recall notice in the mail? I’m also wondering if I’ll continue to experience the same issues.
Michelle H-Philadelphia, PA
I had to get my entire engine replaced last year! Devastating. I kept checking and asking about a recall but here was no recall at the time. Now, the recall won’t cover my new engine. Pleaae let me know how I cam get involved in this class action suit.
I bought my 2018 Jeep Renagade with 22 miles on it. I noticed it consuming oil a year after I bought it. I have had 1 oil consumption test. I had the module recall fixed and it stopped consuming oil for about a month.
Now I’m getting ready to start a second oil consumption test…I don’t understand why they just can’t replace the engine.
Please contact me on my next step.
Experiencing same issues. I had an indicator light suddenly pop on saying oil system overheating even though I just had my oil done not even 1500 miles ago. Had to get my 2017 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk 2.4l towed to my apartment. Currently has 75k miles on it and no extended warranty. I’m left without a vehicle at the moment and no means to purchase repairs.
I bought a 2017 jeep renegade sport and it was just towed to the shop with a massive oil leak after stauling on me while driving. I am missing work and live in the remote mountains of Vermont. I don’t know what to do.
We recently experienced the same issue in our 2017 Jeep Cherokee. We’ve always gotten the oil change (at the dealership) within the specified mileage and are now looking at a total engine replacement due to scored cylinders (3 of 6)
We’d love more information on how to join this class action lawsuit