— A Chrysler oil consumption lawsuit settlement has been reached after vehicle owners alleged several models were equipped with defective Tigershark engines.
The plaintiffs who filed the nine class action lawsuits allege Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat vehicles are equipped with defective and dangerous 2.4L Tigershark engines that consume excessive amounts of oil.
The vehicles allegedly shut down without warning and release excessive oil into the exhaust systems which cause excessive emissions.
The Chrysler oil consumption lawsuit settlement includes these vehicles equipped with 2.4L Tigershark engines:
- 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
- 2016-2018 Fiat 500x
The Tigershark lawsuit also alleges the oil indicator systems don't alert drivers when the oil levels are low, but only activate after the engines stall or die. The indicators also allegedly don't recommend that drivers should change the oil.
The Tigershark engine lawsuit alleges oil travels past the piston rings and into the combustion areas because the piston rings don't work properly with the cylinders. This defect allegedly causes oil to be consumed during the compression cycle which starves the Tigershark engines of oil.
The lawsuit further asserts the engines will fail once the internal components prematurely wear out.
Fiat Chrysler (FCA US) denies any wrongdoing or liability in these nine Tigershark engine class action lawsuits that were consolidated into the 960-page lawsuit titled, Amber Wood v. FCA US LLC.
- Krishawn Durham v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, N.V.
- Amber Wood, et al. v. FCA US LLC
- Nicolette Watson v. FCA US LLC
- Michelle Schmid, et al. v. FCA US LLC
- Kyle Davis, et al. v. FCA US LLC
- Nathanael Romanchuk, et al. v. FCA US LLC
- Nick Gizzarelli, et al. v. FCA US LLC
- Caren Christman v. FCA US LLC
- Thomas Weiner v. FCA US LLC
Chrysler Oil Consumption Lawsuit Settlement
According to the proposed settlement which still needs final approval of a judge, customers will receive an extended warranty of 7 years/100,000 miles from the date the vehicle first went into service.
For some Chrysler owners the "extended warranty" may have already expired considering some of the affected vehicles go back to model year 2013. The terms, conditions and exclusions of the powertrain limited warranty will apply.
Chrysler had also issued free "customer satisfaction notification" (CSN) programs in the past regarding excessive oil consumption issues in several models.
And although those programs were already available to customers before the oil consumption lawsuit was settled, the plaintiffs say these programs are benefits of the settlement.
They include CSN W20, CSN W80, and CSN W84.
According to the Chrysler oil consumption lawsuit settlement, all current owners and lessees of vehicles subject to CSN W20 and CSN W84 may bring their vehicles to dealerships to have the powertrain control modules or transmission control modules reprogrammed.
A current owner or lessee of a subject vehicle listed in CSN W80 may have an oil consumption test performed and if the vehicle fails the oil consumption test, a Chrysler dealer will replace the Tigershark engine long block pursuant to CSN W80.
A customer with a vehicle subject to CSN W80 will also automatically receive a cash payment of $340 if their vehicle is diagnosed as having an oil consumption defect and receives an engine long block replacement.
In connection with CSN W20, CSN W80 and CSN W84, any customer who paid for a repair related to oil consumption may submit a claim for reimbursement.
The oil consumption lawsuit settlement says Chrysler will reimburse customers the costs of towing and repair-related transportation expenses that were incurred in connection with Tigershark engine oil consumption repairs, such as for rental cars.
Customers will need to file valid timely claim forms and submit documentation to prove their expenses.
According to the proposed settlement, the 42 plaintiffs who sued will receive $1,000 to $3,000 each, while the attorneys representing those plaintiffs will receive $7.5 million.
The Chrysler oil consumption lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division): Amber Wood, et al. v. FCA US LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by The Miller Law Firm P.C., Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, LLP, McGuire Law P.C., McCuneWright, LLP, Berger Montague, PC, and Sauder Schelkopf.