FCA US LLC has been hit with a class action lawsuit over an alleged manufacturing defect in certain Jeep Wrangler vehicles that damages the vehicles’ radiators, oil coolers and other components, causing the heater, defroster and air conditioning systems to fail.

According to plaintiffs Donna Mooradian and William Mooradian, Chrysler manufactures engine component parts by using expendable sand molds to form metal parts from alloys, a process called the sand-casting method.

The alleged radiator defect affects model year 2012 through 2017 Jeep Wrangler vehicles, the class action says. These vehicles have a Pentastar V-6 3.6-liter engine, which is reportedly made using a die-casting method instead of a sand-casting method. However, a sand-crafting method is used to make the cylinder head located on top of the engines.

The radiator defect allegedly occurs because Chrysler fails to sufficiently purge casting sand from the cylinder head during the manufacturing process. This excess sand gradually “seeps out” and causes the Jeep Wranglers’ radiators and oil coolers to “fill with a sludge-like residue that damages and ultimately destroys these and other components,” according to the Jeep Wrangler class action lawsuit.

“Plaintiffs and the Class do not learn of the existence of the Manufacturing Defect until the heating and cooling systems fail even though the sand starts to shed from the cylinder head and collect in the radiator immediately after the vehicle is driven,” the Jeep Wrangler class action lawsuit says.

When heating and cooling systems fail, the vehicle’s safety is compromised, the plaintiffs say. For example, drivers cannot defrost their vehicles, making it unsafe to drive in certain cold-weather conditions.

The plaintiffs assert Chrysler should have known about the manufacturing defect because pre-sale testing of the vehicles would have detected the issue by 2011. Further, hundreds of consumer complaints were lodged against Chrysler over this alleged manufacturing defect, so Chrysler should have been aware of the issue by June 2012.

However, Chrysler failed to disclose the radiator defect to consumers who had purchased the affected vehicles and continued to sell vehicles that allegedly contained the defect. Further, Chrysler refuses to cover the costs of labor and repair for the manufacturing defect during the warranty period, claiming instead that the problem was caused by owner misuse or external factors, the Jeep Wrangler class action lawsuit alleges.

The plaintiffs claim they leased a new 2013 Jeep Wrangler in 2013. After a few years, they noticed the heater and defroster emitted only cool air. When they took the vehicle in to a dealer, they were told that the radiator, oil cooler and heater core would need to be replaced, and that the repair was not covered under warranty.

The Jeep Wrangler class action lawsuit brings claims against FCA US LLC for breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranties, breach of the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, and breach of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act.

The plaintiffs are represented by Jack Landskroner and Drew Legando of Landskroner Grieco Merriman LLC; Daniel K. Bryson and John Hunter Bryson of Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP; and Gregory F. Coleman of Greg Coleman Law PC.

The Jeep Wrangler Manufacturing Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Donna Mooradian, et al. v. FCA US LLC, Case No. 1:17-cv-01132, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division.

UPDATE: The Jeep Wrangler Manufacturing Defect Class Action Lawsuit was dismissed on December 21, 2017, due to individual settlements being reached.

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