When the manufacturer of a vehicle recalls it as dangerous but has no remedy to repair it, owners are left in a difficult position. This class action brings suit against the maker of Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), FCA US, LLC, and a seller of the vehicles, Tuttle-Click Tustin, Inc. (TCTI), because, the complaint alleges, the vehicles may catch fire or explode.
The class for this action is all owners of 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs who bought their vehicles in the US.
The plaintiffs in this case, Monte and Maria Macias, bought their 2018 Chrysler Pacific PHEV at TCTI in Tustin, California sometime around March 2018.
The complaint says, “The main difference between a hybrid plug-in versus a regular hybrid is that the former is powered chiefly by an electric motor and will use its internal combustion engine as a back-up should the electric motor’s battery run out of fuel, and the latter is powered by both a petrol-fueled internal combustion engine and a battery-powered electric motor that can work either independently or simultaneously.”
FCA issued a recall for the vehicle on February 11, 2022. The recall notice said that some of these PHEVs “have experienced fires. The defect has not yet been identified and the root cause of these fires is still being investigated.” The fires can happen even when the vehicle is not on. It added, “The remedy for this condition is under development. Root cause is unknown.”
The complaint alleges that FCA “urges consumers who are affected by its Recall to refrain from recharging them and to park them away from structures and other vehicles.”
A footnote in the complaint comments on twelve field reports on the vehicles, “An internal investigation discovered 12 fires among the model-year 2017-2018 vehicles. All were parked and turned off, while eight were connected to chargers.”
According to the complaint, “the Class Vehicles pose a significant safety risk to Class Vehicle owners and lessees, their families, other occupants in the vehicles, and surrounding property.” The complaint alleges that owners and lessees of the vehicles “have been burden with vehicles that do not perform as advertised and cannot be safely parked like other cars.
Neither FCA nor TCTI knows the cause of the fires and, the complaint claims, neither will replace the couple’s vehicle. The complaint alleges that “no remedy exists for buyers of the Pacifica PHEVs.”
The complaint alleges, “This is not the first recall for the Pacifica Hybrid, nor the first for unexpected fires.” They were previously recalled “in response to a similar fire-related problem in 2020[,]” the complaint says.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Automobile
Most Recent Case Event
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-Ins Complaint: Fires, Explosions, and No Remedies
July 1, 2022
When the manufacturer of a vehicle recalls it as dangerous but has no remedy to repair it, owners are left in a difficult position. This class action brings suit against the maker of Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), FCA US, LLC, and a seller of the vehicles, Tuttle-Click Tustin, Inc. (TCTI), because, the complaint alleges, the vehicles may catch fire or explode.
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-Ins Complaint: Fires, Explosions, and No RemediesCase Event History
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-Ins Complaint: Fires, Explosions, and No Remedies
July 1, 2022
When the manufacturer of a vehicle recalls it as dangerous but has no remedy to repair it, owners are left in a difficult position. This class action brings suit against the maker of Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), FCA US, LLC, and a seller of the vehicles, Tuttle-Click Tustin, Inc. (TCTI), because, the complaint alleges, the vehicles may catch fire or explode.
Chrysler Pacifica Plug-Ins Complaint: Fires, Explosions, and No Remedies