Fiat Chrysler Facing Class Action Over Alleged Engine Oil Consumption Defect [UPDATE]
Last Updated on September 30, 2022
Wood et al. v. FCA US LLC
Filed: April 29, 2020 ◆§ 2:20-cv-11054
A class action claims a number of Fiat Chrysler-made vehicles suffer from a defect that causes excessive engine oil consumption.
Case Updates
September 22, 2022 – Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat Tigershark Engine Settlement Website Is Live
The official website for the 2.4L Tigershark engine class action settlement is live and can be found here:
www.FCATigersharkSettlement.com
If you received notice about the settlement via mail, records made available to the settlement administrator indicate that you may be entitled to certain financial and warranty benefits from the deal (see below update).
To submit a claim for reimbursement of rental car or towing expenses incurred in connection with obtaining a repair for a condition caused by excess oil consumption, you can head to this page and enter your personalized settlement claim ID to begin. More than likely, you can find this number on the notice you received in the mail.
Consumers who paid for a repair related to excess oil consumption in connection with certain customer service notifications (CSN) can file a claim for reimbursement at FCARecallReimbursement.com by entering their 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN).
Valid claims must be filed online or postmarked by March 1, 2023. If you do nothing, you will still be included in the settlement and automatically be eligible to receive the extended warranty benefits detailed in the update below.
Those whose vehicle was subject to CSN W80 and had a related engine long block replacement will automatically be mailed a check for a $340 cash payment. FCA will work with its dealership network to determine who is eligible for this payment and will provide their contact information to the settlement administrator.
Head to this page to contact the settlement administrator.
FCA US has not been found liable for any of the allegations in the case, and the automaker denies that the engines at issue are defective.
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June 9, 2022 – FCA Settles Oil Consumption Class Action
Automaker FCA US has agreed to settle the proposed class actions detailed on this page.
The settlement, which received preliminary approval from U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy on June 7, 2022, covers all individuals who bought or leased in the United States one of the following vehicle models equipped with a 2.4L Tigershark engine:
- 2015-2017 Chrysler 200;
- 2013-2016 Dodge Dart;
- 2014-2019 Jeep Cherokee (manufactured prior to July 2018);
- 2015-2018 Jeep Renegade;
- 2017-2018 Jeep Compass;
- 2015-2018 Ram Promaster City; and
- 2016-2018 Fiat 500x.
Through the deal, FCA will extend its existing powertrain warranty for the above-listed vehicles to cover the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair a condition caused by the alleged oil consumption defect for a period of seven years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Further, as part of the settlement, FCA has implemented customer service notifications that allow certain drivers to bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer to have the powertrain control module or transmission control module reprogrammed or to have the engine long block replaced pursuant to a failed oil consumption test. Those who have already paid for repairs related to the alleged oil defect will have the opportunity to submit a claim for reimbursement.
Covered drivers will not be required to present any notice, claim form or other settlement-related documents in order to receive the extended warranty service, and any pre-existing, valid warranty coverage will be unaffected by the deal.
Further still, FCA has agreed to reimburse covered drivers for the costs of towing and repair-related transportation, such as rental car expenses, that were incurred in connection with a qualifying repair.
Lastly, FCA will automatically pay $340 in cash to covered drivers whose vehicle was diagnosed as needing an engine long block replacement as a result of the alleged oil consumption defect.
ClassAction.org will update this page when the official settlement website goes live. Consumers who are covered by the settlement should expect to soon receive direct notice via mail.
The settlement was initially proposed for preliminary approval on March 23.
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July 23, 2020 – FCA Hit with Another Case Over Alleged Tigershark MultiAir II Engine Defect
Fiat Chrysler has been hit with another proposed class action alleging problems with excessive oil consumption in the automaker’s 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir II engine.
The 67-page lawsuit out of Michigan claims FCA-made vehicles equipped with the engine, in particular the 2018 Jeep Compass, burn oil at a rate much faster than owners or lessees would expect. The problem can result in critically low oil levels, which can cause an affected vehicle to stall and lose power without warning, the case says.
“Consumers nationwide who own many of Defendant’s models have complained of the exact same vehicle stalling, safety risks, and accelerated oil consumption, but Defendant has failed to implement a recall, remedy the Oil Consumption Defect, provide adequate repairs or take appropriate action to protect its customers and other drivers from the danger of vehicles suddenly losing power on the nation’s roadways,” the complaint reads.
The lawsuit, filed July 21, can be found here.
A proposed class action lawsuit filed against FCA US LLC alleges the automaker has sold certain model Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram vehicles stricken with a defect that can cause excessive engine oil consumption and sudden engine shutdown during normal operation.
According to the 82-page complaint, the 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir II engine found in the below vehicle models burns off and/or consumes “abnormally high amounts” of oil:
- 2015-2016 Chrysler 200;
- 2013-2016 Dodge Dart;
- 2016-2020 Fiat 500X;
- 2017-2020 Fiat Toro;
- 2014-2020 Jeep Cherokee;
- 2017-2020 Jeep Compass;
- 2015-2020 Jeep Renegade; and
- 2015-2020 Ram ProMaster City.
As a result of the apparent oil consumption defect, the vehicles can abruptly shut down in the course of normal operation, placing drivers, passengers and pedestrians at risk of injury or death, the lawsuit says.
Making matters worse is that the oil indicator system in the above-listed vehicles fails to warn drivers when their engine oil is running low, the case claims. According to the complaint, this additional defect causes drivers to be unaware of dangerously low oil levels until after their engine has stalled or shut down.
According to the suit, the defect in FCA’s 2.4L Tigershark engines utilizing electro-hydraulic “MultiAir” technology stems from the pistons and/or rings inside each engine. More specifically, the case claims the oil control strategy employed by FCA “does not work as intended” in that oil can escape past an engine’s piston ring and into its combustion area. As a result, an engine’s piston rings will not integrate properly with the cylinders in which they operate and can wear down, allowing oil to be consumed during an engine’s compression cycle, the lawsuit says.
“And if there is insufficient engine oil, the engine will not have the necessary lubrication or cooling, causing premature wear of internal parts and catastrophic engine failure,” the complaint reads.
The case claims FCA has known of the oil consumption and oil indicator system issues since at least 2015 yet has “engaged in efforts to conceal” the existence of the defects by describing the problems as “normal” in a technical service bulletin. By characterizing the flaws as “normal,” FCA has “avoided the economic fallout” of having to recall millions of vehicles, leaving owners and lessees on their own, the lawsuit alleges:
“As a result, Class Vehicle owners must fend for themselves, attempting to have the defect diagnosed and repaired on their own or otherwise drive unsafe vehicles that could suffer from mechanical breakdown at any time, even while the car is traveling at full speed."
Those who bought or leased any of the above-listed vehicle models would not have paid as much for the cars had they known of the engine oil and/or indicator system defect, the complaint says. In addition to posing the risk of injury to drivers, passengers and pedestrians, the alleged engine oil consumption and oil indicator defects materially reduce the value of proposed class members’ vehicles, the suit charges.
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