— Fiat Chrysler seat height adjusters are the target of a class action lawsuit that alleges both front seat height adjusters are defective in about 2 million of these vehicles.
- 2011-2023 Dodge Charger
- 2011-2023 Chrysler 300
- 2011-2023 Dodge Challenger
- 2011-2017 Chrysler 200
- 2013-2016 Dodge Dart
According to the FCA class action, the seat height adjuster contains a motor, gear box, a threaded shaft, a matching nut that moves along the shaft as it rotates, and a bracket welded to the nut.
Supplied by Lear Corporation, also named as a defendant, the electric front seat height adjusters allegedly collapse in low speed rear-end collisions. Both FCA and Lear reportedly committed mail and wire fraud and concealed the seat height adjuster problems from everyone.
The purported conspiracy was not only played out against consumers, but allegedly against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The lawsuit says since 2011, FCA never told NHTSA about the defective seat height adjusters.
The government performs official crash testing of vehicles that must pass those tests or else they cannot be sold. Additionally, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performs vehicle crash testing that many consider to be even more demanding than NHTSA's requirements.
The Chrysler class action doesn't reference any official government crash tests or seat height adjustment failures. But the plaintiffs say their own lawyers conducted testing.
"Plaintiffs’ counsel engaged engineers and test facilities to document the performance of the Defective Seat Height Adjuster in rear end collisions. Their testing at 25 MPH documented the failure of the Defective Seat Height Adjuster."
It cost $405 to file the FCA class action for more than $5 million, but Texas plaintiffs Richard and Evelyn Alexander don't allege in the lawsuit that their 2014 Chrysler 300 had any problems with the seat height adjusters.
However, the plaintiffs complain the Chrysler seat height adjuster "creates an unreasonable risk of injury or death and the higher the Seat is raised, the greater the risk of injury or death."
The plaintiffs further contend Chrysler concealed the defects from federal safety regulators because that would require a large expensive recall. Additionally, a recall would require a complete redesign of the seat height adjusters.
According to the lawsuit, at least 2 million FCA vehicles have lost their values because of the dangerous seat height adjusters.
The Chrysler seat height adjuster class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division): Richard and Evelyn Alexander v. FCA US LLC, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Steckler Wayne & Love, PLLC, Malouf & Nockels LLP, and Michael Cole, Attorney at Law.
