Jeep Class Action Says Uconnect Feature is Defective

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Fiat Chrysler has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the Uconnect infotainment system installed in certain Jeep vehicles are filled with glitches that render it defective.

Manufactured by Fiat Chrysler, Uconnect is a next-generation in-vehicle connectivity systems specifically designed for Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep and Ram vehicles.

The software includes a voice-activated, in-dash infotainment system that provides an integrated, radio, phone, navigation and entertainment system, complete with various apps.

In June 2015, plaintiff Duane Kiser of Kentucky purchased a model-year 2015 Jeep Renegade with the Uconnect feature, allegedly paying an additional $1,245 for the system, but he claims the software doesn’t work properly.

“Plaintiff specifically purchased this Vehicle, with this Uconnect version, because it provided a navigation feature, a Weather Map mobile app, and a Wi-Fi ‘hot spot,’ through which Plaintiff could obtain internet access,” the Fiat Chrysler Uconnect complaint states.

According to Kiser, since he purchased the vehicle, the Uconnect Weather Map mobile app has not worked at all, the GPS navigation system has been out-of-date and has repeatedly failed during use, and the Wi-Fi hot spot has also failed repeatedly.

“Plaintiff has taken the Vehicle to Grayson Chrysler Jeep Dodge, a dealership in Grayson, Kentucky, for attempted service and repair of the Uconnect system on no fewer than eight occasions, resulting in the loss of use of his vehicle for approximately 75 days,” the FCA Uconnect class action purports.

Yet, despite numerous visits to the dealership to fix the allegedly defective Uconnect, and even with a replacement Uconnect system, Kiser says the software still fails to work properly.

The class action further claims that “after his last visit to the dealership, the service advisor informed Plaintiff that, according to a regional service manager employed by Defendant, there was no problem with Plaintiff’s Vehicle because all Jeep Renegades with the Uconnect system version 6.5/RA4 would fail in the same way.”

Kiser alleges that Fiat Chrysler touts its reliability of the Uconnect system, but that the system actually falls short of FCA’s representation and instead cheats consumers by depriving them of the system they paid for.

“[Defendant] designed, developed, engineered, and programmed a proprietary voice-activated, in-dash infotainment system known as Uconnect … at least one of the Uconnect systems available on the model-year 2015 Jeep Renegade, version 6.5/RA4, does not work as intended, marketed, or warranted by Defendant,” the complaint states.

Kiser brings this action on behalf of himself and a proposed Class of similarly-situated purchasers and lessees of the 2015 Jeep Renegade in which the Uconnect version 6.5/RA4 was installed. He contends that he and other Class Members paid more for the vehicles than they would have paid had they been aware of the defects or they simply would not have purchased the vehicles at all.

He is bringing forth specific claims that Fiat Chrysler violated the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act; Kentucky Consumer Protection Act; West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act; Unfair, False, and Deceptive Trade Practices; Breach of Express Warranty; and Breach of Common Law Warranty.

Kiser is seeking punitive and compensatory damages, as well as attorney’s fees and court costs.

The plaintiff is represented by Matthew T. Lockaby of Lockaby PLLC.

The Jeep Defective Uconnect Class Action Lawsuit is Duane Kiser v. FCA US LLC, Case No. 0:16-cv-00072, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Kentucky, Northern Division at Ashland.