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On February 9, Chrysler Group LLC was hit with a proposed alternator recall class action lawsuit, alleging the carmaker does not have enough parts to repair and replace the thousands of Chrysler vehicles recently recalled for having a dangerous and faulty alternator and additionally has refused to compensate consumers for the cost of rental cars.
Lead plaintiff Robert Madatyan claims in the class action lawsuit that back in October 2014, Chrysler issued a recall notice for all of their brand name vehicles featuring defective 160 amp alternators that could catch on fire and shut down the engine while in drive. This Chrysler alternator recall notice simultaneously informed car owners and lessees that the parts needed to fix the defect would take about six months to obtain. During this recall waiting period, the automaker has asked consumers to refrain from driving the affected Chrysler vehicles or parking them near structures.
However, the alternator recall class action lawsuit alleges Chrysler has refused to pay for consumers’ rental cars, despite that fact that Chrysler car owners and lessees have been told by the automaker to not drive the defective cars.
According to the Chrysler alternator recall class action lawsuit, “Chrysler should, among other things, be required to furnish or pay for replacement vehicles until Chrysler fixes the defective vehicles and should pay damages and restitution to the owners and lessees of the vehicles for loss of use, loss of market value and other financial losses,” Madatyan claims.
Back in 2011, Chrysler allegedly began to design, manufacture, market, and sell the Chrysler vehicles with the defective alternators. According to the alternator recall class action lawsuit, there were about 434,581 Dodge Challengers, Durangos, and Chargers, as well as Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokees that were outfitted with the defective alternator. These defective 160 amp alternators allegedly cause these Chrysler cars to shut down and catch on fire. In some cases, the defective alternators would not completely shut down the car, but would then cause electrical failures, affecting the systems that allow drivers to steer and brake.
According to the Chrysler alternator recall class action lawsuit, the Chrysler alternator failure could occur without warning, leaving drivers without time to avoid traffic dangers. Additionally, the alternator defect can also cause a car to catch on fire even if it is off and parked. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that hundreds of Chrysler vehicle owners and lessees have filed complaints with the agency outlining the numerous problems associated with the defective alternators.
Madatyan brings several allegations against Chrysler, including claims of breach of express warranty, breach of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, breach of Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, breach of Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and finally one count of violating the California Unfair Competition Law.
The plaintiff seeks to represent himself in this Chrysler alternator recall class action lawsuit, as well as a Class of all owners and lessees of the following Chrysler vehicles: 2011-2014 Dodge Challengers, Chargers, and Durangos; 2011-2014 Chrysler 300; and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokees.
The plaintiff is represented by Hovanes Margarian of The Margarian Law Firm.
The Chrysler Alternator Recall Class Action Lawsuit is Madatyan, et al v. Chrysler Group LLC, case number BC571830, in the California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles.
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90 thoughts onAlternator Recall Class Action Lawsuit Hits Chrysler Group
After my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee alternator recall, the battery located underneath the passenger seat, inside the cabin of the car started to overheat. I smelled a chemical smell inside of the car and immediately took it in to a dealership. However, it had to be towed (again) because the power drained and nothing electrical would work except for the window wipers that had a mind/power source of their own. The dealership inspected my jeep and tried to figure out what the heck was going on and what the smell was, but could not figure it out. Fast forward a week, I have my jeep back for a few days and smell the chemical smell again. At this point it was a mystery! It wasn’t until I saw the WHITE SMOKE coming from underneath the passenger seat that the mystery smell was finally solved. THE BATTERY WAS LEAKING BATTERY ACID FUMES INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR! The 3rd Jeep dealership said they have never seen an interior battery malfunction in that way. And, why the heck is there a battery inside of a vehicles cabin that has the potential to smoke and leak battery acid. Safety hazard! I have searched forums and have not found anything similar to my horror story. Hopefully, we all get some answers.
Having the same issues as the previous comments! 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Killed the battery in my car as the alternator went out. Now they’re telling me I am responsible paying the battery! After getting the Jeep back from the shop, strange smell coming from the car..I cannot wait to get rid of this thing! I used to love it!
My vehicle is down and they won’t even have my vehicle towed to the dealership. They want me to pay for the towing and they will reimburse me. Additionally, they won’t have parts until April. This is the second time in 5 months the alternator has gone out.
Besides a pending law suit maybe this needs to be elevated to a congressional investigation to why a major car company is not fixing a potentially dangerous situation.
I have a 2011 Chrysler 200. I got it in 2014 it was the biggest mistake. I have had many vehicles and never had as many problems as I have with this car. I hate it. I am sure it will kill me one day they way it pulls not even to just one side but both. Everyone I talk to that has one tells me they hate it to. Worst car ever RUN FAR AWAY FOR IT. DON’T BUY THIS CRAPPY CAR.
my 2013 durango caught fire a month ago with pets and babies in the back. dealer replaced alternator (old style) battery and PCM. Definitley am not comfortable putting kids back in this thing knowing it could happen again at any time. Does anyone know if this is an ongoing lawsuit? If not, we need to compile a list of names of those that have had fires and hit the media. Dodge needs to buy back these cars!
This happened to me with a 2012 Dodge Charger in September 2017. Died while driving and went up in smoke doing 60. Caused me so much anxiety. Luckily escaped getting into an accident. Had to get rental car for a month then ultimately had to buy a new car since there was no fix for this and they said they were goin to start charging me storage fees for my dead car that was towed to the dealer and i would have to start paying for my own rental. Also no one wanted to buy my car so had to settle with a depreciated value due to the open recall. We must get another class action started.
My 2011 chrysler 300c caught fire last week. They said since insurance has possession of the car they can not do anything to help.
I have a 2012 charger and replaced my alternator and it only lasted about 3 weeks before it failed again. My vehicle has been down for over 2 months and still no parts available. I’ve got the 180 amp alt. Does anyone know of a class action lawsuit that applies to my situation?
I have almost the same situation, how do I get on this lawsuit?
The case is still moving through the courts and has not yet reached a settlement. Claim forms are usually not made available to consumers until after a court approved settlement is reached. We recommend you sign up for a free account at TopClassActions.com and follow the case. We will update the article with any major case developments or settlement news! Setting up a free account with Top Class Actions will allow you to receive instant updates on ANY article that you ‘Follow’ on our website. A link to creating an account may be found here: https://topclassactions.com/signup/. You can then ‘Follow’ the article above, and get notified immediately when we post updates!
I own a 2012 Chrysler 200 that the alternator just went in . I was driving along a very crowded state highway when the battery light came on . Not being sure of what it meant I called my husband and he told me to Pull over right away, but not shut the car off . He then met me where I pulled over and figured it was the alternator . I’m as able
To drive home but once in the driveway with the car turned off the alternator did catch fire as my husband was taking it out !
I own a 2012 chrysler 200, driving today car was smoking on my way home coming from passenger side of the hood. Once I got home it was smoking even more. My fiance said it smelled like electrical. Car will not start no power at all.
I have a 2014 chrysler 200 and i believe the alternator is going out. after reading all these I’m very concerned.
I had my alternator catch fire this week, and I called the recall customer service line to be instructed that I would be responsible for towing it to and from the shop and possibly for the temp repair, this is the 2nd recall that has had no fix available. This is my first Dodge and if I can figure out how to get rid of it will be my last. Very unhappy.
I have a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee & it caught fire on Sunday evening. I called FCA and was instructed to submit my expenses to them. I was also instructed by my local repair shop that this issue is bound to happen again. The details of the incident included (while driving with my family) a whining noise from the engine compartment, followed by power shutting down (while driving) and smoke and associated burning odor from the engine compartment. After the incident, the vehicle was undrivable and was delivered to a local service station. While at the service station, I was informed that after diagnosis, that the battery was shorted. As such, a battery was replaced, which caused more smoking and fire in the alternator. Two alternators were subsequently replaced and were burned up, as well. After many conversations between Chrysler, the dealer service team and the local service station that had my vehicle, it was decided to replace the alternator with an OEM part. After the OEM part was installed, the service station advised that a charge cannot be maintained. As such, it was diagnosed that the voltage regulator is the component that is responsible for the charge current. The regulator is controlled by the ECU module and it was recommended that changing the computer could solve the issue. My service person informed me that changing the computer may fix the problem, however, it may not fix the issue, as well. Couple this information that an ECU is rather expensive, and that the issue may reoccur after the replacement of the ECU, it was decided that the vehicle belongs in the hands of the dealer. Vehicle is now with the dealer and I am not hopeful for a fix, as FCA states that a solution is not available. At this stage, even if the vehicle is repaired, I’m unsure that I want it back!