24-02-2025
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.
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