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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
Wasted mg savings on a 2015 Chrysler 200 with the low oil & stall crap . I’ve gotten nail from FCA that it just needs a software update but that can’t be true because you can tell that it’s done some damage to the motor and so many permanent obd2 codes that are permanent and vehicle specific that its hard to get the information on. Not even 200 miles driven in that thing and even git rid of of my other vehicle so transportation has been the worse. Did get a notice for that settlement so maybe some hope, I’ve read a lot of the documents and I still don’t really know what I’m supposed fully. Just want to make sure I do everything correctly so i can get this nightmare taken care of.
I have a 2017 jeep Cherokee. It has randomly stalled out on me for no reason.
I unwittingly and unknowingly purchased a 2015 Jeep Cherokee and despite my initial excitement and joy of having a sleek new vehicle, the cost of maintenance and issues that are occurring with greater regularity, have somewhat soured the aforementioned sentiment I had. These shutdowns, engine power issues and apparent drivetrain and power train malfunctions/failure are dangerous, scary and difficult to grasp that the best that can be done is an extended warranty and/or engine replacement. That is probably a less defective model of the same problematic engine that will eventually present these same issues we’re all encountering presently. Sincerely, An Extremely Perturbed Consumer!!!
I too, purchased a Jeep Renegade with engine issues. It stalled at an intersection of 2 occasions leaving me alone and worried. On the first occasion it lost all power and slowly back up coming to a stop about a few yards from a lake. A tow was called. On the second occasion ,in the same area ,strangely enough?…the Jeep stalled on my way to the doctors office. I had a broken finger and sprained knee and was on my way to the dr. To make it even more frustrating it was pouring rain! Two people stopped and pushed it off the road so I could sit and wait for a tow truck. I had to then climb into a dirty tow truck with a painful knee to have New Castle Jeep look at it again. The first incident they put in a fuel block of some kind. They said it was a recall item? From then on I had to track my oil consumption….two different times. The first time was to replace the engine, which they never did because they felt it was looking ok. The second time i was told to come back when I went 3000 miles. And, Chrysler would definitely have to replace the engine…
When I returned I was told the service man told me wrong and I was supposed to come back at 1500 miles…and I was asked to do it again. I felt I was getting the run around. I had not purchased the Jeep from them, however, it was still under the warranty. When it ran out they were still working with me due to the fact that the issue started under the warranty. Nevertheless, I will never purchase another Jeep Renegade again. This is a 2018 Trailhawk.
I have a 2016 Chrysler 200
We have a 2016 Jeep Cherokee limited that this happened to
My 2018 Jeep Compass had indicated on dash that oil was low it was stalling prior to that abruptly at varied speeds I nearly was killed more than once after several trips to dealer they said it was a soft ware issue . I then had a tire rod go on the car Chrysler pod fur all repairs . I don’t feel safe in the car sorry I bought it off the lease. Feel like I’m stuck with it …. Glad to know they are extending the warranty on it accordingly to this class action law suit card I got in the mail. I guess that’s better than nothing but ultimately how can you sell your car to anyone or even trade it in with all of these issues and get a fair price ? I’m just waiting for something else to go on it I maintain it impeccably with oil changes tuneups etc.
This is not right. These car companies really take advantage. I feel anybody having these issues should be released of any responsibility to continue paying on loans for these vehicles and the car company should pay the loan in full. If the car was paid for, the car company should reimburse 70% of what was paid.
I have 2 vehicles involved 2015 chrysler 200 and a 2019 jeep cherokee
My car was totaled because if this, a also caused accidents. I’ve never been able to get help.