Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles reportedly have the bubbly paint from corroded aluminum.
December 6, 2021 – Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator Corrosion Guarantees are supposedly a sham because every guarantee states that a corroded aluminum plate must also be perforated.
The corrosion warranty claim covers 2018-2021 Jeep Wrangler and 2020-2021 Jeep Gladiator vehicles.
The affected Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles reportedly suffer from corrosion problems that cause the paintwork to blister, flake, flake, rust, and / or blister.
The Jeep Corrosion Guarantee class action lawsuit was brought by Louisiana plaintiff Mark Bordelon who bought a new 2018 Jeep Wrangler, Maine plaintiff Antoine Louvat who bought a new 2020 Jeep Gladiator, and Florida plaintiffs Domingo Orozco and Irma Orozco, who bought a new 2019 Jeep Wrangler, submitted they lived in New York.
Plaintiffs claim they paid too much for their jeeps because paint problems arose due to premature corrosion of the aluminum body panels. The plaintiffs also claim they would have to spend a lot of money to “have their jeeps repaired (inadequately) and repainted”.
According to the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Corrosion Warranty Process, 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 ‘and stated that'[h]High strength, lightweight aluminum is used throughout the doors, hood, windshield frame, gullwing door, and fenders to help Wrangler shed more than 200 lbs. It’s strong, durable, and increases efficiency. ‘”- Jeep Wrangler Corrosion Warranty Lawsuit
Jeep aluminum corrosion / paint problem TSBs
The Jeep Corrosion Warranty lawsuit alleges that FCA knew of the aluminum corrosion and paint problems years ago because the automaker issued Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) to dealers.
The lawsuit states that in March 2018 Chrysler issued the TSB 31-001-18 entitled “Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair” for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The bulletin concerned “the inspection and, if necessary, the removal of corrosion and repainting of the suspected aluminum hood, door or tailgate panel”.
The Wrangler TSB mentioned: “[a]Aluminum corrosion along the front edge of the bonnet or other external surface areas of the doors or tailgates “and asked the technicians to”[r]remove [the] affected panel “and”[g]Sand the corroded areas of the bonnet onto bare aluminum. . . a grinding wheel ”before you grind the panel and prepare it for post-processing.
The class action lawsuit also states that in 2018 TSB also instructed dealers to apply pre-treatment wipes to the repair areas prior to repairing the aluminum panels.
TSB 31-001-18 was soon revised to accommodate the “fenders” of the 2018-2019 Jeep Wrangler and also diagnosed the problem as “[a]Aluminum corrosion along the front edge of the hood or other external surface areas of the doors, fenders or tailgates. “
In November 2018, the TSB was then revised again to replace the affected aluminum plate because of “severe pitting showed that” [could not] can be removed with sandpaper “after” removing the initial blistering color from the panel surface with [the] Grinding wheel. “
Plaintiffs allege the bulletin states that if the affected plate does not qualify for replacement, Jeep dealers have been instructed to apply an anti-corrosion paint to the affected areas.
FCA released the TSB 31-001-19 in July 2019, expanding the Wrangler models beyond those sold in North America to those sold in the Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe regions.
And then on October 27, 2020, FCA issued the TSB 31-002-20, which included the Jeep Wrangler 2020-2021 and the Jeep Gladiator 2020-2021.
The Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Corrosion Guarantee
The jeeps were delivered with corrosion guarantees to cover “sheet metal” for a period of 36 months with unlimited mileage.
According to the class action lawsuit, the Jeep Corrosion Warranty also provided for an extended 60 month warranty coverage for corrosion on “an exterior body panel,” which FCA defined as “one that is pre-painted and that someone” can see when walking around the vehicle. “
“This warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor required to repair or replace sheet metal that is punctured by rust or other corrosion. If a hole occurs due to causes other than corrosion, this warranty does not apply. Cosmetic or surface corrosion – caused for example by stone chips or scratches in the paintwork – is not covered. ”- Jeep Corrosion Guarantee
According to Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator’s aluminum corrosion lawsuit, the corrosion guarantee is a sham because “it is common knowledge throughout the automotive industry that aluminum body panels do not corrode, and so FCA knew that customers who bought the class vehicles” could the CW never use it to the extent that the perforation of the plate was a prerequisite for obtaining a cover. “
Plaintiffs claim this means that the extended warranty coverage for “an outer casing sheet metal” was misleading and deceptive.
FCA has reportedly withheld the extended warranty for “bogus” corrosion from consumers because the aluminum body panel allegedly needs to be perforated due to corrosion and rust.
Plaintiffs also allege that the technical service bulletin repairs did not fix the corrosion problems and do nothing about the depreciation caused by repainting the jeeps. According to the lawsuit, newer jeeps that have been repainted are worth less than jeeps with the original paintwork.
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.
Plaintiffs are represented by Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert and Gordon & Partners, PA
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