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A class action lawsuit was filed alleging Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator corrosion warranties are a “sham.” The lawsuit includes 2018-2021 Jeep Wranglers and 2020-2021 Gladiators. Jeep issued technical service bulletins over aluminum corrosion and bubbling paint, and knew about problems but didn’t fix them, says the lawsuit.
The affected Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles allegedly suffer corrosion problems which cause the paint to bubble, flake, peel, rust, and/or blister.
The class action lawsuit was filed by a Louisiana plaintiff who purchased a new 2018 Jeep Wrangler, a Maine plaintiff who purchased a new 2020 Jeep Gladiator, and Florida plaintiffs who purchased a new 2019 Jeep Wrangler when they lived in New York.
The plaintiffs assert, they overpaid because the premature corrosion is not covered in the warranty. The suit also says that the plaintiffs then had to spend a lot of money to get the panels repaired and repainted.
According to the Jeep lawsuit, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) began using aluminum in the body panels and chassis to improve fuel efficiency by reducing Jeep weight.
“in its brochures, Jeep boasted that the 2018 Wrangler was ‘Lighter in weight,’ noting that ‘high-strength, lightweight aluminum is used throughout the doors, hood, windshield frame, swing gate, and fenders to help Wrangler shed over 200 lb. It’s strong, durable and aids efficiency.’” — Jeep Wrangler corrosion warranty lawsuit
Aluminum Jeep Wrangler body panels began in 2018
Automaker Jeep began using aluminum body panels and other stampings to reduce jeep weight. The lawsuit says Chrysler issued TSB 31-001-18 in March 2018 and entitled “Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair” for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The bulletin concerned “inspecting and if necessary, removing corrosion and refinishing the suspect aluminum hood, door, or liftgate panel.”
The class action lawsuit also says the 2018 TSB further directed dealers to apply pre-treatment wipes to the repair areas prior to refinishing the aluminum panels.
The suit alleges that the bulletin advised using an anti-corrosion pen on problem areas. But only if the panel did not qualify for replacement.
FCA issued TSB 31-001-19 in July 2019 which expanded the Wranglers beyond those sold in North America to include those sold in the regions of Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.
And on October 27, 2020, FCA then issued TSB 31-002-20 which included the 2020-2021 Jeep Wrangler and the 2020-2021 Jeep Gladiator.
Why Jeep Wrangler warranty is a “sham?”
According to the class action lawsuit, the Jeep corrosion warranty also provided for extended warranty coverage of a period of 60 months for corrosion to “an outer-body sheet metal panel,” which FCA defined as “one that is finish-painted and that someone can see when walking around the vehicle.”
“This warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair or replace any sheet metal panels that get holes from rust or other corrosion. If a hole occurs because of something other than corrosion, this warranty does not apply. Cosmetic or surface corrosion — resulting, for example, from stone chips or scratches in the paint — is not covered.” — Jeep corrosion warranty
According to Jeep Lawsuit, the corrosion warranty is a sham because it is “widely known throughout the automotive industry that aluminum body panels don’t perforate from corrosion, and thus, FCA knew that customers who had purchased the Class Vehicles could never take advantage of the CW to the extent perforation of the panel was a requirement to obtain coverage.”
The plaintiffs allege this means the extended warranty coverage for “an outer-body sheet metal panel” was misleading and deceptive.
The plaintiffs also claim the TSB repairs don’t fix the corrosion problems and do anything for the diminution of value that occurs from repainting the Jeeps. According to the lawsuit, repainted newer Jeeps are worth less than Jeeps with the original paint.
The Jeep corrosion warranty lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Orozco, et al., vs. FCA US LLC.
Are Other Owners Experiencing This Same Jeep Wrangler JL Corrosion Issue?
When carefully reviewing online Jeep Wrangler Forums and Facebook Group discussions, it’s found that there are many owners who are facing the same issues.
Final Thoughts
If you are an automobile owner and having manufacturing issues, you can contact us for a class-action lawsuit. Serious car problems require serious legal representation, especially when you are bringing a claim against a major automaker.
At the Lemon Firm, our experienced attorneys have been able to successfully recover compensation for our clients who were sold a vehicle that did not perform as intended and we can do the same for you.
Contact us for a free consultation today if you have experienced problems like those experienced by the Jeep class action above or any other types of design or manufacturing defects with your vehicle. Our experienced attorneys can be reached by calling (833) Lemon-Firm.