PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia couple allege Fiat Chrysler Automobiles did not abide by federal and state laws when it sold them a new Jeep vehicle with several mechanical defects.
Catherine R. Benedick and Gerald Benedick of Philadelphia filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on Nov. 2 versus FCA US, LLC of Auburn Hills, Mich.
On May 26, 2017, the plaintiff purchased a new 2017 Jeep Compass from Reedman Toll Auto World in Langhorne, manufactured and warranted by the defendant, and both purchased and registered in Pennsylvania. The price of the vehicle was in excess of $18,014.25, including registration charges, document fees, sales tax, finance and bank charges, but excluding other collateral charges not specified yet defined by the Lemon Law, the suit says.
The Benedicks claim they were provided a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty for the Jeep, but learned the vehicle had defects of its basic capabilities, such as fluid leaking from the front end, a foul odor and the vehicle being stuck in gear and unmoving.
The plaintiffs said the defendant’s authorized dealer made several repair attempts to comply with its warranty and correct the aforementioned issues (taking the vehicle out of service for 35 days), but the attempts proved futile.
For alleged violation of the Pennsylvania Lemon Law, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act and violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL), the plaintiff is seeking damages up to three times the purchase price of the subject vehicle, collateral charges, incidental, consequential and treble damages, attorney’s fees and court costs, not in excess of $50,000.
The plaintiff is represented by Robert M. Silverman of Kimmel & Silverman, in Ambler.
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas case 171004226
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com