— Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator corrosion warranties are allegedly a sham because every warranty says a corroded aluminum panel must also be perforated.
The corrosion warranty lawsuit includes 2018-2021 Jeep Wrangler and 2020-2021 Jeep Gladiator vehicles.
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 Jeep corrosion warranty class action lawsuit was filed by Louisiana plaintiff Mark Bordelon who purchased a new 2018 Jeep Wrangler, Maine plaintiff Antoine Louvat who purchased a new 2020 Jeep Gladiator, and Florida plaintiffs Domingo Orozco and Irma Orozco who purchased a new 2019 Jeep Wrangler when they lived in New York.
The plaintiffs assert they overpaid for their Jeeps because of paint problems that occurred because of premature corrosion of the aluminum body panels. The plaintiffs also claim they must spend a lot of money to have their Jeeps "(inadequately) repaired and repainted."
According to the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator corrosion warranty lawsuit, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) began using aluminum in the body panels and chassis to improve fuel efficiency by reducing the weight of the Jeeps.
"In its brochures, FCA boasted that the 2018 Wrangler was 'LIGHTER IN WEIGHT,' noting that '[h]igh-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
Jeep Aluminum Corrosion / Paint Problem TSBs
The Jeep corrosion warranty lawsuit alleges FCA knew about the aluminum corrosion and paint problems years ago because the automaker issued technical service bulletins (TSBs) to dealerships.
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 Wrangler TSB mentioned, “[a]luminum corrosion along the leading edge of hood or other exterior surface areas of the doors or liftgates” and told technicians to “[r]emove [the] affected panel” and “[g]rind the corroded areas of the hood to bare aluminum using . . . a grinding disc” before sanding the panel and preparing it to be refinished.
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.
TSB 31-001-18 was soon revised to include the 2018-2019 Jeep Wrangler’s “fenders” and also diagnosed the problem as “[a]luminum corrosion along the leading edge of hood or other exterior surface areas of the doors, fenders or liftgates.”
Then in November 2018, the TSB was again revised for replacement of the affected aluminum panel for “severe pitting exhibited that [could not] be removed with sandpaper” after “removing the initial blistered paint from the panel surface with [the] grinding disc.”
The plaintiffs allege the bulletin said if the affected panel did not qualify for replacement, Jeep dealers were told to apply an anti-corrosion pen to the affected areas.
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.
The Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Corrosion Warranty
The Jeeps came with corrosion warranties to provide coverage to “sheet metal panels” for a period of 36 months with no mileage limit.
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 the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator aluminum corrosion lawsuit, the corrosion warranty is a sham because it is "widely known throughout the automotive industry that aluminum body panels do not 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.
FCA allegedly concealed the "sham" corrosion extended warranty from consumers because the aluminum body panel allegedly must be perforated due to corrosion and rust.
The plaintiffs also claim the technical service bulletin 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.
The plaintiffs are represented by Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert, and Gordon & Partners, P.A.
