Owners and lessees of Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesels may be eligible for legal protection due to recent allegations around the vehicle’s exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system.
Vehicles manufactured between June 12, 2013, and October 23, 2019, may feature defective EGR coolers prone to thermal fatigue. When failure occurs, the coolers are more vulnerable to internal cracking and the possible spark of vehicle fires.
Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel EGR Partial Recall
In 2019, Dodge recalled more than 100,000 of these vehicles due to the potentially hazardous defect but could not provide a readily available solution for the EGR cooler. Instead, Fiat Chrysler instructed owners and lessees to monitor their coolant levels and report them to their local dealerships if they were consistently running low.
As there is a limited quantity of available replacement parts, Fiat Chrysler was only able to offer a new EGR cooler if the part officially failed.
Due to the nature of this partial recall, California’s lemon law and other state/federal laws may force Fiat Chrysler to buy the defective vehicles back, classifying them as lemons. Alternatively, they may provide cash compensation, allowing consumers to pay off their leases or loans due to the EcoDiesel issues.
Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel EGR Class Action Lawsuit
On August 27th, 2020, a class-action lawsuit was filed with the United States District Court in Eastern Michigan (Crawford v. Fiat Chrysler US LLC., 2:20-cv-12341-SJM-DRG). The plaintiffs have since consolidated with other related actions.
In August of 2021, Fiat Chrysler filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. The court granted in part and denied in part this motion.
The class-action lawsuit has not been approved as of yet, but the court has scheduled an order for class certification to be filed by January 26, 2023, to be briefed by April of 2023.
What does the Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel EGR Class Action Lawsuit mean for you?
While there is no guarantee that this case will settle at this time, here’s what to expect if it does.
Owners and lessees will receive a notice outlining their options. These options will include:
- Do nothing, in which you may not receive any benefits from the settlement while being bound to the case
- Submit a claim form and receive benefits of the settlement while being bound to the case
- Choose to opt out of the class action case and pursue legal action on your own terms. If this is the route you choose to take, you will not be bound to the case but will also not be eligible to receive any settlement benefits that may arise.
Participating in a class-action suit does not take a significant amount of effort to reap the benefits, and there is no risk to you. If the plaintiff loses the case, claims cannot be litigated individually once the decision is made.
However, if you’ve experienced significant damage from a faulty EGR, you may be entitled to a larger settlement if you were to opt out of the class action case and pursue your case individually. Our attorneys at Conn Law, PC have the skill and knowledge necessary to help you document your case and present options for holding the manufacturer accountable. Call Conn Law, PC at 1-877-421-9759, or visit us online today for your free consultation.