Fiat Chrysler Class Action Says Vehicles Have Engine Oil Defect

A class action lawsuit has been commenced against Fiat Chrysler by vehicle owners who claim that their cars have an oil consumption defect in their engines which causes them to consume abnormally high amounts of oil.

Plaintiffs Nick Gizzarelli, Catherine Coppinger, Rosalind Burks, and Kellie McMullen say their vehicles equipped with 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir II engines consume excessive engine oil so that the oil pressure drops too low.

As a result of this oil consumption defect, the vehicles can shut down during the course of normal operation, placing the occupants and surrounding vehicles at an increased risk of serious injury and even death, the plaintiffs maintain.

The Fiat Chrysler vehicles that are equipped with the allegedly defective engine include: 2014 – 2020 Jeep Cherokee;  2017 – 2020 Jeep Compass; 2015 – 2020 Jeep Renegade; 2015 – 2016 Chrysler 200; 2013 – 2016 Dodge Dart; and 2016 – 2020 Fiat 500X models.

One plaintiff in this case, Gizzarelli, says he purchased a 2019 Jeep Compass in November 2018. He claims that his vehicle was equipped with a 2.4L TigerShark Multi Air engine that was defective and did not function properly. 

Gizzaerlli states that he uses his car for personal, family and household uses. He claims that he relied on the window sticker when deciding to purchase his vehicle and that the sticker did not disclose that the car had any defects.

Since purchasing his vehicle, Gizzarelli maintains that his car has suffered from the oil consumption and oil indicator defects. He claims that he has delivered his vehicle to an authorized Fiat Chrysler dealership four times for diagnostics and repair. Gizzarelli says that, when he asked the dealership personnel about the oil consumption issue, the dealership stated that they were aware of the problem.

FCA has known about the oil consumption and indicator defects for a long time, claim the plaintiffs, as hundreds of vehicle owners and lessees have reported instances of their vehicles shutting down without warning due to low oil levels.

The plaintiffs also claim that the defendant has known about the dangerous defects in the Class vehicles since at least 2015 and has acquired this knowledge through pre-release testing, post-release monitoring, dealership repair records, complaints made to the NHSTA, and complaints made to FCA itself.

However, despite this knowledge, “FCA never told Plaintiff about the Oil Consumption or Oil Indicator defects, so Plaintiff purchased his Affected Vehicle on the reasonable, but mistaken, belief that his Affected Vehicle would be reliable and safe and would retain all of its operating characteristics throughout its useful life,” the Fiat Chrysler oil consumption class action lawsuit says.

The plaintiffs claim that the oil consumption defect unreasonably threatens the safety of drivers and passengers using the vehicles because the cars are prone to sudden and unexpected shut down, which creates unsafe driving conditions when the vehicle stalls or shuts off without warning.

In addition, the plaintiffs say that the oil consumption defect could be avoided if the oil indicator system alerted drivers that their engine level was running low.

However, the plaintiffs allege, the oil indicator system does not work. Thus, vehicle owners only become aware of a dangerously low engine-oil level after an engine stall or shutdown. Despite this, Fiat Chrysler reportedly refuses to recall the vehicles.

“By characterizing the excessive oil consumption rate as ‘normal,’ FCA has avoided the economic fallout that would inevitably result from recalling the millions of Class Vehicles,” the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit says.

Had the plaintiffs known about the defects in the vehicles, they allegedly would have received the disclosures from Fiat Chrysler and would not have purchased the vehicle or would have paid less for it.

In addition, the plaintiffs say that the oil consumption defect also increases the expected cost of ownership and maintenance of their vehicles. They state that they have had to replenish the oil in their vehicles at excessive rates. The oil consumption defect also shortens the expected lifespan of other mechanical components of the vehicles, the plaintiffs aver.

The lawsuit further claims that car owners will be forced to replace components at a much higher rate than they reasonably expected when they purchased the vehicles. Also, the plaintiffs vehicles regularly experience such severe shortages of oil that they automatically shut down to protect the engine before the indicator system tells them that they are due for an oil change.

“Consumers reasonably relied on FCA’s representations in the Owner’s Manuals regarding the oil indicator system and its ability to give notice of the need for an oil change,” the Fiat Chrysler oil consumption class action lawsuit states.

Fiat Chrysler has been hit with similar class action lawsuits from consumers who argue that their vehicles consume far too much oil due to an engine defect. Each of the complaints against the auto company argue that consumer would not not have purchased the vehicles had they been informed about the defect.

Do you own one of the affected vehicles in this Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiffs are represented by Steve W. Berman and Elaine T. Byszewski of Hagens Berman Sobol and Shapiro LLP and E. Powell Miller of The Miller Law Firm PC.

The Fiat Chrysler Oil Consumption Class Action Lawsuit is Nick Gizzarelli, et al. v. FCA US LLC, Case No. 2:20-cv-11442, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

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