Fiat Chrysler faces a class action lawsuit alleging that the car maker violates the terms of its Lifetime Limited Powertrain Warranties on a variety of Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles.
Plaintiff Wendy Hightman recently filed a class action lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler US LLC over claims that the company regularly violates their powertrain warranties for 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles.
According to the Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit, in 2007 FCA sales were down and the company was allegedly “in the early stages of financial freefall.”
To combat dealer complaints about overstocked vehicles, Fiat Chrysler announced that it would be offering Lifetime Limited Powertrain Warranties on 88 percent of their models.
The Fiat Chrysler warranty class action says the company heavily marketed their new warranty offer.
Advertisements reportedly touted the importance of the company’s new lifetime limited warranties with statements such as “This new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty is a statement of confidence to our customers to the reliability of their powertrain. It’s peace-of-mind reassurance for as long as they own the vehicle.”
Hightman claims these advertisements worked and, from 2007 to 2009, Fiat Chrysler sold hundreds of thousands of vehicles due to their lifetime warranty assurances.
However, the company allegedly failed to disclose an important term in their warranties: vehicles with a lifetime warranty were subject to an inspection requirement.
The FCA warranty class action lawsuit states that under the lifetime limited warranty, vehicles needed to undergo a powertrain inspection within 60 days of each 5-year anniversary.
Consumers who failed to have their vehicles inspected, such as Hightman, allegedly had their claims denied or warranties voided by Fiat Chrysler.
Hightman argues that Fiat Chrysler did not sufficiently inform their consumers of the terms and conditions of their lifetime powertrain warranties.
The FCA powertrain warranty class action further claims that the inspection clause in the powertrain warranty has no real purpose and instead only functions to create a risk of cancellation for the consumer.
“Class members could not reasonably expect the Inspection Clause to be included in the Warranty; it is not a typical provision, it serves no commercial purpose, and it is one-sided. Inspections – unlike scheduled maintenance – do not affect the quality or fitness of powertrain components,” the Fiat Chrysler powertrain warranty class action lawsuit claims.
“Therefore, the lack of opportunity to conduct a powertrain inspection poses no additional risk to FCA; the inspection clause merely creates a risk of warranty cancellation for the Class members.”
Hightman seeks to represent a Class of consumers who own 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles who were denied coverage under their Lifetime Limited Powertrain Warranty.
She also seeks to represent a Class of the same consumers in California who are protected under state laws. The Fiat Chrysler class action lawsuit seeks disgorgement, damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.
Plaintiffs are represented by Douglas C. Sohn of Sohn & Associates; and Richard D. McCune, David C. Wright, and Mark I. Richards of McCune Wright Arevalo LLP.
The Fiat Chrysler Powertrain Warranty Class Action Lawsuit is Hightman v. Fiat Chrysler US LLC, Case No. 3:18-cv-02205-BEN-KSC, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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79 thoughts onFiat Chrysler Class Action Says Lifetime Warranties Voided Unfairly
I am having the same problem and would like to find out about the class action suit. I have all maintenance records and the Jeep only has 71,000 miles.
This happened to me I have a 2009 Dodge Charger and they won’t honor my warranty I have all my papers and maintained my car
they said no. Chrysler and the Dealership where I bought my car from they said the warranty changed hands 5 or 6 times
and most people don’t keep their more than 2 or 3 years .so they won’t fix it i have to keep paying out of pocket
Same problem with my 2009 dodge charger sxt. Dealership sold with lifetime powertrain. It was a a great selling point but when the top end blew, dealership stated warranty void due to powertrain not inspected at the 10 year mark. Dealership stated he had contacted Chrysler multiple times with other vehicles with no success He also contacted Chrysler regarding my charger with no success. Notified consumer protection stated to hire a private lawyer.
I also have been denied my warranty on my 2008 dodge ram. How do we become part of the lawsuit?
Happened to me with my 2007 Jeep Liberty. Mine was cancelled for failing to get a 5 year inspection. When I showed that I’d had it into the dealership…they went back another 5 years and said well you failed to get that one, even thought they’d been honoring during that period. What a farce! I want to join this action. I’ve been ripped off!
I recently contacted a local dealer in advance of repair on my 2008 Dodge Ram that should be covered under the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty. The local dealer looked up my vehicle and stated that my warranty should cover the repair. They also told me that I could take the vehicle to a local shop for repair, that I did not have to have it done at the dealership. They gave me a number for the repair shop to contact regarding the warranty work. I decided to call before taking my vehicle in and was told that the warranty was pending cancellation due to the lack of both the 5 year and 10 year inspections. I had a document showing the initial 5 year inspection was done. They would not accept it as they stated they need the actual inspection checklist. I contacted the dealer who has been through 3 ownership changes since I bought the vehicle. They stated that documents flagged as “purged” they do not have access to as they do not have access to records under previous ownership. I was at the dealer for a recall repair a few months before the 10 year inspection was due. There was no mention of the upcoming inspection. Chrysler told me that unless I was at the dealer within the 60 day window of the inspection, the dealer would not know to inform me. They requested copies of inspection documents, including the actual After going back and forth with the Chrysler customer service, they cancelled my warranty. Can someone let me know if there is any recourse in California for the cancellation of this warranty. Thank you.