— A Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid class action lawsuit has been filed in Canada after the owners of a minivan said the 12-volt battery isolator post caused a fire.
The Pacifica Hybrid lawsuit was filed on behalf of Quebec owners and lessees of 2017-2020 Chrysler vans.
The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids involved in the lawsuit were recalled in Canada and the U.S. because of the electrical systems.
The June Transport Canada recall was issued because the 12-volt battery isolator post in the Pacifica Hybrid electrical system could overheat and cause the minivan to catch fire. According to the lawsuit, a fire may occur even when the minivan is turned off and unattended.
The plaintiffs are joint owners of a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid which was seriously damaged in a May 2020 fire allegedly caused by the same defect that caused the recall.
The minivan was parked in their home driveway and plugged into an outlet to charge the battery, but an hour later neighbors alerted the plaintiffs that smoke was coming from the Pacifica Hybrid.
The lawsuit alleges the minivan was destroyed in the fire and declared a total loss by the insurer.
The plaintiffs say they hired a forensics company to investigate the fire and investigators allegedly determined a "high-resistance connection at the vehicle’s 12-volt battery isolator post had caused electrical arcing which ignited the underlay and carpet behind the driver’s seat."
The plaintiffs claim Chrysler must have known about the dangerous electrical system problems but failed to tell minivan owners. According to the class action, Chrysler's recall was inadequate as the automaker failed to compensate Pacifica Hybrid owners for damages suffered by minivan owners.
Following the fire, the insurer refused to compensate the plaintiffs for the extended warranty they had on their vehicle, as well as its new summer tires which had been installed a few weeks previously.
In addition, the lawsuit alleges the insurer has notified the owners their insurance rates will increase because of the fire.
The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid class action lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court for the Province of Quebec District of Montreal, Canada: Florea, et al., v. FCA US LLC, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Liebman Legal Inc.
