Lawsuit Alert: Over Two Million Dodge and Chrysler Cars Have Faulty Seats
What would you do if your car seat suddenly collapsed while you were driving? This is a concern that roughly two million drivers face. A lawsuit alleged that Dodge and Chrysler cars have defective seats that increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Lawsuit claims over two million Dodge and Chrysler cars have defective seats
A class action lawsuit claims that over two million Dodge and Chrysler cars have defective seats. To make matters worse, the plaintiffs also claim that Chrysler concealed the defect from federal safety regulators to avoid a large and expensive recall.
Drivers share that the car seats supplied by Lear Corporation have electric front seat height adjusters that collapse during low-speed rear-end collisions.
The plaintiffs who filed the $5 million class action share that the seat height adjuster “creates an unreasonable risk of injury or death. The risk is greater if the seat is raised higher.”
Their lawyers performed testing to document the seat failure at 25 mph. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles failed to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the issue.
The lawsuit doesn’t share how the FCA managed to get around sharing this information. Reportedly, mail and wire fraud were used to conceal the issue.
According to CarComplaints, hiding the defect from safety regulators allowed the auto maker to avoid issuing a massive, costly recall. It may have required a total redesign of the seat height adjusters. Also, the defect allegedly reduces the value of the cars.
Vehicles in the lawsuit include:
- 2011-2023 Dodge Charger
- 2011-2023 Chrysler 300
- 2011-2023 Dodge Challenger
- 2011-2017 Chrysler 200
- 2013-2016 Dodge Dart
Based on the outcome, owners of vehicles in the lawsuit could receive payouts. Also, a recall that fixes the seats at no cost to owners could be released.
