Settlement Reached in BMW Navigation System Class Action

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A class action lawsuit against BMW of North America LLC over the automaker’s navigation system was dismissed by a New Jersey federal judge Friday because the parties had already reached a settlement on the matter.

The BMW class action lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, which gives plaintiff Karen Morris the option to refile the class action lawsuit, if necessary.

However, U.S. District Judge Jose Linares said that he was sent a letter on March from one of BMW’s attorneys saying that a settlement had been reached between the two parties. The letter said that BMW and Morris would soon file a stipulation of dismissal in the following weeks.

The order issued by Judge Linares says that the class action lawsuit may be reopened within 60 days “if the settlement is not consummated.”

Morris filed the BMW class action lawsuit in 2013 alleging that the navigation system which she opted to add-on to her 2012 BMW 5 series vehicle for $1,800 is faulty.

According to Morris, the navigation system does not give the right directions, it resets without warning, and does not properly identify locations. In addition, she alleges that BMW knew of the problems with navigation system based on the automaker’s own tests and tests performed by third parties as well as complaints from customers and reports from local dealerships.

The BMW class action lawsuit alleged that the faulty navigation system “is especially egregious in light of the safety risks resulting from driving with an unreliable navigation system that directs drivers to unsafe terrain or hazardous road conditions, distracts or confuses drivers, or otherwise suddenly fails to properly work or function at all, thereby placing drivers at greater risk of accidents and harm.”

Morris said in her class action lawsuit that the navigation system had taken her on long detours, took her to the wrong locations and even told her to drive in the opposite direction of where she should go.

When she took the BMW 5 series vehicle to a dealership to have the problem repaired, she was told that there was no way to repair it, but to try to upgrading the system with a 2014 map.

When she asked for a refund for the $1,800 she spent on the system, BMW told her that the problem wasn’t with the navigation system itself but with the map.

Morris alleged that BMW had violated New Jersey consumer protection laws, federal and state breach of warranty laws, unjust enrichment and Nevada’s deceptive trade practices law.

The BMW class action lawsuit was seeking to represent a nationwide class of those who owned or leased 2012 or 2013 BMW vehicles and had paid to have the navigation system installed.

Judge Linares had dismissed part of the BMW navigation system class action lawsuit in February 2014. The New Jersey federal judge tossed the breach of state fraud allegations but kept the breach of express warranty claims.

Further information about the BMW navigation system defect class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive notifications when this article is updated.

Morris is represented by James C. Shah of Shepherd Finkelman Miller & Shah LLP.

The BMW Class Action Lawsuit is Karen Morris et al. v. BMW of North America LLC, Case No. 2:13-cv-04980, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.