— A Dodge Dart clutch replacement lawsuit may finally be reaching its end for California owners of 2013-2015 Darts built on or before November 12, 2014, and equipped with Fiat C635 manual transmissions.
The Dart clutch replacement class action soap opera has been going on for five years, first as a nationwide lawsuit and now a class action for:
"All persons who purchased or leased in California, from an authorized dealership, a new Class Vehicle primarily for personal, family or household purposes."
The original Dodge Dart clutch replacement lawsuit was filed by two customers in 2016 who alleged the clutch pedals fail and stay on the floors, preventing drivers from shifting gears.
Now down to one plaintiff, the lawsuit was denied class action certification, then certified as a class action for California before the automaker filed a motion to decertify the class.
Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), argued previous technical service bulletins and customer satisfaction programs took care of any Dodge Dart clutch problems. Chrysler also said it offered Dart customers reimbursements for clutch replacements.
Chrysler references an extended warranty it announced due to contaminated hydraulic fluid because the clutch reservoir hoses could fail. Dodge dealers were told to replace the hydraulic clutch master cylinders and reservoir hoses for 2013-2015 Dodge Darts.
The latest court action saw the automaker file a motion for reconsideration or to modify the class definition to exclude former owners by defining the class as original purchasers who still own the Darts.
Considering the cars involved in the Dodge Dart clutch replacement lawsuit are model year 2013-2015 models, there is a good chance a large number of original Dart buyers no longer own the cars.
The judge denied to modify the clutch class action because limiting the class to purchasers who still own the Dart cars would render the automaker, "free of any significant damages if liability were found and would not compensate the former purchasers of the injuries they suffered when they purchased the Class Vehicles."
CarComplaints.com will update our website if a settlement is reached.
The Dodge Dart clutch replacement lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California: Victorino, et al., v. FCA US LLC.
The plaintiff is represented by Capstone Law APC.