— A Chrysler key programmer class action lawsuit claims millions of vehicles in the U.S. are defective because criminals break the windows and illegally use key programmers to steal the vehicles.
The illegal use of key programmers has been a serious problem nationwide, but as long as there are criminals willing to use legal devices illegally, the problem has remained for numerous automakers and vehicle owners.
It's similar to a standard hammer which can be used to build a nice home, or illegally smash someone over the head. Except in this case criminals are using legitimate key programmer devices in illegal ways to steal the vehicles. And vehicle owners claim it's Chrysler's fault.
Instead of the lawsuit being filed against the criminals who break windows and steal vehicles, the lawsuit blames Fiat Chrysler by alleging millions of vehicles are "defective."
The 393-page Chrysler key programmer theft class action lawsuit includes millions of 2012-2024 Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram vehicles equipped with Sentry Key Engine Immobilizer Systems (SKIS) and push-button ignition systems.
This includes popular models such as the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The Chrysler key programmer class action lawsuit alleges the vehicles have a "serious safety defect: the anti-theft and ignition systems can easily be bypassed by novice thieves and fail to comply with Federal and industry safety standards."
This argument is similar to hundreds of lawsuits filed against Hyundai and Kia over a lack of "engine immobilizers," except the Chrysler vehicles are equipped with engine immobilizers.
Hundreds of individual, state government and class action lawsuits did not blame the teenage criminals, but instead placed all the blame on Hyundai and Kia.
In the case of Hyundai, teenage criminals broke the windows, destroyed the steering columns, and removed the ignition locks to steal the vehicles. Those teens would record their crimes, post the videos online and "challenge" other teens across the country to do the same. It became known as the "Kia Challenge."
Many of those car thefts led to fatalities, and in some cases the parents of the teen criminals who were killed sued Hyundai and Kia by claiming the vehicles were defective because they didn't have engine immobilizers, technology not required in the U.S.
In another lawsuit, a Hyundai owner sued the automaker after she was shot in the chest by criminals stealing her Hyundai Elantra.
The Chrysler theft class action lawsuit says the vehicles do have immobilizers, but the vehicles can still be stolen. In fact, the vehicle owners who filed the class action complain they believed the vehicles couldn't be stolen as long as the keys were removed, the windows were closed and the vehicles were locked.
According to the Fiat Chrysler (FCA) key programmer lawsuit, FCA concealed from consumers the fact the vehicles could be stolen.
The key programmer class action asserts Chrysler not only concealed the alleged defects but also supposedly made a "calculated decision to prioritize profits over safety and security of their customers’ vehicles."
Even though the vehicles met or exceeded all federal safety standards when they were sold or else they could not have been sold, the plaintiffs argue the opposite and claim the vehicles violate federal standards.
Below are the Fiat Chrysler customers who filed the key programmer theft class action lawsuit, but note how several of the customers who filed the stolen vehicle lawsuit never had their vehicles stolen.
- Cicely Tegeler / Arizona / 2023 Jeep Wrangler Sahara (No theft)
- Burton Way Investments, LLC / California / 17 Vehicles (No theft)
- Jeremy Mora / California / 2021 Ram 2500 (Thief broke out a window and stole the vehicle June 13, 2024)
- Paul Soberano / California / 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (Thief broke out rear window and stole the vehicle December 8, 2023)
- Wanya Warren / Pennsylvania / 2016 Dodge Challenger (Thief stole the vehicle March 20, 2022)
- Mark Pfeifer / Florida / 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee (No theft)
- Aron Wozniak / Florida / 2023 Dodge Charger (No theft)
- Emmanuel Turcotte / Florida / 2024 Ram TRX (Thief broke a window and stole the vehicle April 4, 2024)
- Emma Pire / Georgia / 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE (No theft)
- Joseph Curb / Illinois / 2020 Dodge Charger (Thief stole the vehicle November 2, 2022)
- Dawn Gibbs-Allen / Illinois / 2021 Ram 1500 (No theft)
- Christian Keating / Missouri / 2023 Dodge Challenger (Thief broke a window and stole the vehicle May 11, 2024)
- Michelle Laskowsk / Illinois / 2021 Dodge Durango SRT (Thief stole the vehicle December 10, 2023)
- Katrina O’Connor / Illinois / 2016 Dodge Charger R/T (Thief stole the vehicle September 2, 2020)
- Aric White / Illinois / 2017 Dodge Challenger R/T (Thieves broke the windows and stole the vehicle twice, on September 2, 2020 and September 4, 2022)
- Narciso Maldonado / Illinois / 2018 Dodge Durango (Thieves broke the windows and stole the vehicle twice, on October 10, 2022 and February 28, 2024)
- Anthony Spangle / Indiana / 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee (No theft)
- Walter Kwak / Indiana / 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee (No theft)
- Garrett Pfeifer / Maryland / 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 (No theft)
- Michael Bush / Michigan / 2018 Jeep Wrangler (No theft)
- Daniel Chandler / Michigan / 2016 Dodge Challenger (Thief stole the vehicle February 12, 2024)
- Labraun Crayto / Michigan / Jeep Grand Cherokee (Thief stole the vehicle February 2024)
- Tamara Darby / Michigan / 2016 Chrysler 300S (Thief stole the vehicle January 29, 2024)
- Ivy Stryker / Michigan / 2020 Dodge Charger (Thieves attempted to steal the vehicle December 13, 2022, but failed)
- Leslie Wilczewski / Michigan / 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (Thief broke a window and stole the vehicle December 22, 2023)
- Doug Yarringto / Missouri / 2021 Dodge Charger (Thief broke a window and stole the vehicle February 20, 2024)
- Larry Cole / California / 2019 Dodge Charger (Thief stole the vehicle September 1, 2023)
- Joyce Jones / New Jersey / 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (No theft)
- Carl Patelli / New York / 2022 Dodge Challenger (Thief broke a window and stole the vehicle December 8, 2023)
- Charles Zimmerschied / Oregon / 2021 Dodge Challenger (No theft)
- Cameron Cardin / Texas / 2022 Dodge Durango (Thief stole the vehicle March 6, 2024)
- Andrew Morill / Illinois / 2019 Dodge Charger (Thief stole the vehicle March 1, 2023)
- Jenna Forster / New Jersey / 2015 Dodge Charger (Thief stole the vehicle June 28, 2024)
The Chrysler key programmer theft class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Michigan: Ivy Stryker et al., v. FCA US LLC, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Simon Law Firm, P.C., Berardi and Associates LLC, Fegan Scott LLC, Gray Ritter Graham, and Olsman MacKenzie Peacock.