Chrysler class action alleges seat height adjusters are defective

Chrysler class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiffs Richard Alexander and Evelyn Alexander filed a class action lawsuit against FCA US LLC and Lear Corporation.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim the defendants sold vehicles with seat height adjusters that pose a safety risk.
• Where: The Chrysler class action lawsuit was filed in Texas federal court.

A new Chrysler class action lawsuit alleges FCA US and Lear sold vehicles with seat height adjusters that pose a safety risk.

Plaintiffs Richard Alexander and Evelyn Alexander filed the class action complaint against FCA US and Lear on Feb. 5 in Texas federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

According to the class action lawsuit, the defendants sold vehicles with seat height adjusters that pose a safety risk in the event of a rear-end collision and that the higher the seat is raised, the greater the risk of injury or death.

The lawsuit claims that the seat height adjusters collapse, causing the seat to drop out from under the occupant, leaving them suspended in space and out of position relative to the restraint system and other impact safety features in the vehicles.

The vehicles in question include 2011–2023 Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Challenger as well as 2011–2017 Chrysler 200 and 2013–2016 Dodge Dart.

The plaintiffs allege that FCA and Lear ignored their duty to disclose the defect to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and to the owners, purchasers and dealers of the vehicles.

FCA, Lear knew about seat height adjuster defect, class action claims

The plaintiffs say they engaged engineers and test facilities to document the performance of the seat height adjusters in rear-end collisions, and their testing at 25 mph documented the failure of the seat height adjusters.

The class action lawsuit claims that FCA manufactured and sold more than 2 million vehicles with the seat height adjusters, and the defendants knew or should have known about the risk of injury or death before selling the vehicles to the plaintiffs and other class members.

The lawsuit alleges that FCA and Lear concealed the risk of injury or death from the NHTSA, the plaintiffs and the class members.

The complaints argue the defendants engaged in a systematic and ongoing scheme to defraud and deceive the plaintiffs and class members by failing to disclose the defect and by using false or fraudulent pretenses or representations in violation of federal law.

The plaintiffs are looking to represent anyone who owns, owned or leased a new or used Class Vehicle, excluding any person who has pursued an action for damages for personal injury, death or property damages against the defendants for the defective seat height adjuster.

They are suing for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, breach of warranty, fraud and unjust enrichment and are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

FCA is currently facing another class action lawsuit over a data breach that allowed hackers to access Stellantis-related systems and access customer information.

What do you think of the allegations made in this FCA and Lear class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Bruce W. Steckler, Austin P. Smith and Paul D. Stickney of Steckler Wayne & Love PLLC; Stephen F. Malouf of Malouf & Nockels LLP and Michael Cole, Attorney at Law.

The Chrysler class action lawsuit is Alexander, et al. v. FCA US LLC, et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-00314, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

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