Jeep Wrangler class action over defective electrical systems trimmed but to proceed

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Jeep Wrangler defect class action overview:

• Who: Two Jeep owners filed a class action lawsuit alleging that FCA US LLC sold hybrid vehicles with defective electrical systems.
• Why: A Georgia federal judge trimmed the lawsuit, ruling that the named plaintiffs only have standing in Virginia and Georgia.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Georgia federal court.

A Georgia federal judge dismissed parts of a class action lawsuit alleging defective electrical systems in hybrid Jeeps while letting others proceed.

United States District Judge Richard W. Story determined Plaintiffs Jibri Ward-Richardson and Yesenia Robaina only have the standing to bring two counts on behalf of Georgia and Virginia class members, the states where they purchased the Jeep vehicles. 

Ward-Richardson and Robaina claim that their Jeep Wrangler 4xes, which are plug-in hybrid vehicles, have a defect that caused the vehicle to shut down while driving. The complaint alleges FCA, formerly Chrysler Group LLC, knew of the defect and concealed it.

One of the plaintiffs alleges that on three separate occasions, his Jeep shut off while driving. He took his vehicle to a dealership, but they did not fix the problem, according to the Jeep Wrangler class action.

The other plaintiff claims that his check engine light came on just days after purchase and that on multiple occasions his vehicle stopped running without warning and would not restart. The plaintiff says no one at the dealership told him that other consumers had experienced similar issues.

Jeep Wrangler class action trimmed because no injuries occurred outside Georgia, Virginia 

The Court cited a ruling that says “a claim cannot be asserted on behalf of a class unless at least one of the named plaintiffs has suffered the injury that gives rise to that claim.” 

Judge Story writes that because the plaintiffs purchased their Jeeps in Georgia and Virginia, they only had standing under those states’ consumer fraud protection statutes, according to Jeep Wrangler class action documents. He further explained that the plaintiffs did not personally incur injuries outside of Georgia or Virginia. Judge Story writes that the plaintiffs would need to establish standing in all 50 states for the case to be considered in all 50 states.

Judge Story also says that the plaintiffs failed to identify connections between Georgia class members who purchased the Jeeps in other states, the Jeep Wrangler defect class action documents state. The plaintiffs, for example, did “not allege that FCA manufactured, marketed or tested the Jeeps in Georgia. The judge ruled that “due process prevents the uniform application of Georgia law to Plaintiffs’ nationwide common law claims.”

Judge Story dismissed other claims that the plaintiffs had already abandoned. He also ruled that Georgia and Virginia do not recognize attorney fees, punitive damages and injunctions as separate causes of action so he dismissed those claims as well.

In related Jeep Wrangler news, last year, a consumer hit FCA with a class action lawsuit alleging the automaker knew about a corrosion defect in the aluminum of certain Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles but failed to remedy the defect or disclose it to consumers.

The Jeep Wrangler defect class action is Ward-Richardson et al. v. FCA US LLC, 2:21-cv-00235, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. 

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