Corrosion warranties on Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator are a joke since they require corroded metal panels to be pierced.
FREMONT, CA: Corrosion warranties on Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator are a joke since they require corroded metal panels to be pierced. According to reports, the impacted Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator's paint was prone to bubble, flake, peel, corrode or blister. Plaintiffs Mark Bordelon of Louisiana, Antoine Louvat of Maine, Domingo and Irma Orozco of Florida, and Domingo and Irma Orozco of New York, launched the Jeep corrosion warranty class action complaint.
The plaintiffs claim they overpaid for their Jeeps owing to paint concerns caused by early aluminum body panel deterioration. The plaintiffs also say they pay a lot of money to have their Jeeps (inadequately) mended and repainted.
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According to the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator corrosion warranty lawsuit, FCA began using aluminum in the Jeep body panels and chassis to improve fuel efficiency and reduce weight.
Jeep TSBs for Aluminum Corrosion/Paint
FCA was aware of the aluminum corrosion and paint concerns for years, according to the Jeep corrosion warranty complaint.
In the Wrangler TSB, the aluminum corrosion was noted along the leading edge of the hood, or other exterior surfaces of the doors or liftgates, mechanics were instructed to remove the affected panel and grind the corroded aluminum areas of the hood to bare aluminum before refinishing it. The TSB also advised dealers to wash and repair areas before refinishing aluminum panels, according to the class-action suit. Aluminum corrosion along the leading edge of the hood or other exterior surface areas of the doors, fenders, or liftgates was soon added to TSB 31-001-18. The warning urged Jeep dealers to apply anti-corrosion ink to the affected areas if the damaged panel could not be replaced, the plaintiffs claim.
Warranties on Wrangler and Gladiator
The Jeeps came with 36-month corrosion guarantees on sheet metal panels with no mileage restrictions. For corrosion of an outer-body sheet metal panel, defined by FCA as being painted and visible when walking around the car, the Jeep corrosion guarantee included an extra 60 months of coverage.
A lawsuit filed against Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator alleges the corrosion warranty is bogus because it is well known within the automotive industry that aluminum body panels do not perforate due to corrosion. So, the extended warranty coverage for an outer-body sheet metal panel was allegedly deceptive and misleading. To prevent corrosion and rust, the aluminum body panel must be perforated, according to FCA.
The plaintiffs further claim that the TSSB modifications do not address corrosion or compensate for the value loss caused by repainting the Jeeps. The claim is that repainted modern Jeeps are less valuable than original paint Jeeps.
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