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
We called the dealership on multiple occasions about the excessive oil consumption & were told that it was within normal operating specs. We then noticed heavy vibrations when shifting into reverse, which ended up being broken motor mounts. We will never buy another Chrysler product!
I have a 2016 Jeep Renegade that has shut down on me at least two times. Both times I was fortunately at a stop sign and not in the middle of a busy road. Once was late at night when I was alone and another when I was on my way to class, which I had to miss as I waited for a tow truck. I have since spent additional funds getting early oil changes in fear of my car shutting down on me again. I have completed an oil consumption test with a Jeep dealership this year who confirmed my model was consuming oil faster than expected.
I have a 2017 jeep renegade and have experienced these same issues stalling and losing oil
I had a 2016 Jeep Cherokee and I no longer have the car. So I would like to opted out of the lawsuit.
I have a 2016 jeep renegade I just purchased and this is concerning.
I have an 18 Jeep Renegade. I have had nothing but electrical problems since I purchased it 14 miles off the lot!!. My oil light comes on before my oil change is due. My brake warning comes on constantly, telling me to brake when it’s not necessary. My fcw light is constantly flashing, and has already been replaced. Now I’m having issues with my fog lights, regular lights and license plate lights going off or one staying on while they’re shut off! Add me to the lawsuit because I’m having the same problems as everyone else!
i own a 2017 jeep renegade with 52,000 miles and it burns two quarts of oil between changes and the dealer tells me it doesnt burn enough to change the engine and now it needs a new transmission
I have a 2018 Jeep Renegade amd have had many engine lights come on and off. Car had died a few times while driving after making a right hand turn. The odometer even started blinking on time. Have had many electrical problems with this vehicle. Very unsatisfied!!
I already had an engine replaced once due to oil consumption problems, I feel like these have led to other problems in my jeep renegade
My 2016 renegade shuts down while driving, whenever I get close to needing oil change. Close as in 500 -1000 miles. So far I haven’t been hit, buts only matter of time, before it happens on the highway going to work. I have brought it to the dealer and was told to carry extra oil with me. They won’t replace my engine, but from the above comments doesn’t sound like that would have fix the issues. It is ridiculous.
Yes, I have a jeep renegade who already had to have transmission replaced. Always battling issues.
I have a 2017 Jeep Renegade with severe engine, and oil consumption. My Jeep has been at the dealership for about 2 1/2 months.They told me from the beginning that they could not figure out what is wrong and after all of this time, they claim every master mechanic and engineer available has tried to figure it out but can’t. Every time they would fix something, something else would go wrong. I am making payments and paying insurance for a car that the dealership told me was basically a paper weight. Can’t afford this.