Latest news with #CarComplaints.com
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Nissan CVT Class-Action Suit Ends with $20,000 for Drivers, $3.4 Million for Lawyers
Nissan and the plaintiffs of a class-action lawsuit alleging that continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) in its Murano and Maxima models were defective have reached a settlement as of Wednesday. As a result, the automaker will pay out more than $3 million and provide an extended warranty for the relevant customers. But like in any legal matter, reading the fine print is key. As first reported by the lawsuit, which was filed in Tennessee in October 2022, alleged that Nissan sold CVTs it knew were faulty. The plaintiffs wanted Nissan to replace the transmissions in all affected vehicles, which included Muranos from model years 2015–2018 and Maximas from model years 2016–2018. In addition, they wanted Nissan to stop selling or leasing vehicles nationwide and explain to customers that the CVTs were defective. That isn't even close to what Nissan ultimately settled for, though. NISSAN According to court documents, Nissan settled, but didn't admit any wrongdoing. Instead, the company offered a few things to salve the minds of the plaintiffs. First and foremost, they agreed to a $3,470,000 payout. Of course, only $5000 of that is going to each of the four plaintiffs; the other $3,450,000 is going to the lawyers representing the owners in the case. Next, Nissan agreed to extend warranty coverage for vehicles in the affected pool. The kicker, though, is that the new warranty covers these cars for 84 months or 84,000 miles, whichever comes first. Seeing as the newest of these cars is from 2018, almost all of them have already hit that seven-year mark. Nissan Notably, Nissan did say it would reimburse any customer who paid for a "qualifying" gearbox repair in the past. If customers had their CVT replaced by Nissan, it would cover the full cost; if they had the work done at an independent shop, they would pay up to $5000 for that work. Importantly, the work had to have happened within the new extended warranty period to qualify for reimbursement. Affected customers do have one more option, though. They can get $1500 off of a new Nissan or Infiniti purchase or lease if they "had two (2) or more replacements or repairs to the transmission assembly (including the valve body and torque converter) or ATCU during their ownership experience." Nissan isn't being wildly generous here, though. Customers who also qualify for the reimbursement have to choose between that and this new-car voucher. A final fairness hearing is scheduled for July 18, when the settlement could become official. You Might Also Like
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Dodge Is Back in Court with First-Year Durango Hellcat Buyers
'The Hellcat Durango will be a single model year run," Dodge's then-CEO Tim Kuniskis said at the launch event for the 710-horsepower supercharged SUV. Those words, and a few other statements like it, are at the center of a lawsuit-turned-mediation-turned-lawsuit between the automaker and its customers. The sticky issue is now heading back to court after the parties couldn't come to an agreement — and the strange part is that none of the legal wrangling has to do with a defect or flaw. Seven 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat owners sued the automaker in 2023 for deceiving customers. They call it a "classic bait and switch scheme," in which the carmaker encouraged people to buy the car based on its limited production duration — Then, lo and behold, the Durango Hellcat returned for the 2023 model year. On its face, it's easy to see where the plaintiffs' complaints are coming from. Kuniskis's statement above is only a tiny piece of Dodge's marketing at the time. Kuniskis himself went on in that same quote to say, "When we turn the order books over to the '22 model year, the Durango Hellcat will be gone. So you've only got one shot. The 2021 Durango Hellcat is only a single model-year run, ensuring that it will be a very special, sought-after performance SUV for years to come." Dodge, however, isn't just rolling over and going along with this claim. The carmaker asserts in the suit that none of the plaintiffs have proven that they bought the car for its rarity, or that the company's marketing statements at the time influenced their buying decision. For its part, Dodge explained its move to restart Durango Hellcat production because it managed to meet emissions requirements it hadn't expected to. The two sides had entered mediation but reports that they're back in court after those talks fell through.,You can read the lawsuit in its entirety here. In the meantime, Dodge currently offers three 2025 model year Durango Hellcat variants, according to its website. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Jury Finds Ford Must Pay $2.5 Billion After 2 Die in Super Duty Crash
A jury in Columbus, Georgia has ordered the Ford Motor Company to pay up to the sum of $2.5 billion after a rollover crash in one of the brand's pickup truck killed two occupants. The accident happened in August of 2022, when Debra Mills, 64, lost control of her 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty. Authorities said that after leaving the roadway, the truck hit a drainage culvert and then went airborne for roughly 80 feet before landing on its roof. Mills and her husband, Herman Mills, 74, both died as a result of the crash. Family members went on to sue Ford for wrongful death alleging that the roof of the F-250 was too weak and that the automaker knew it. In fact, the jury heard arguments that more than 5 million Super Duty pickup trucks from between 1999 and 2016 have suspect roofs. (Ford did not respond with a comment as of this story's publication; we'll update this piece accordingly if we hear back.) The jury's ruling for $2.5 billion in punitive damages comes on the heels of a ruling by the same jury last Thursday, issuing a verdict against the carmaker for $30.5 million in compensatory damages in the same trial. 'Ford has known for 26 years that people were getting killed and hurt by these weak roofs,' said James 'Jim' Butler Jr., lead counsel for the Mills family, according to the Ledger-Enquirer. 'Ford has constantly refused to admit the danger or warn of the risk.' The strength-to-weight ratio of trucks in the suspect class is 1.1, according to the lawsuit. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, meanwhile, requires a ratio of 4.0 to rate a vehicle as "good." A spokesperson for Ford told The Ledger-Enquirer says that the vehicles' roofs are "not defective," and that the automaker plans to appeal the ruling. Notably, that appeal strategy did just work for it in a separate but similar matter: In 2022, a jury awarded $1.7 billion in damages to a plaintiff in another roof-crushing case. The Court of Appeals in Georgia has since wiped that judgment out, however, and granted Ford a new trial. According to "Out of about 5.2 million 1999-2016 trucks, there were 79 similar collapsed roof incidents introduced into evidence," in that Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
