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A Dangerous Problem Worth Repeating
“Fire Warning For Chrysler Pacifica PHEV”

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Chrysler recommends that owners of select model year 2017-2018 Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles park their vehicles outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures due to a risk of fire, even if the vehicle is turned off. Owners are advised to NOT charge their vehicles and continue to park outside until a remedy is identified.

In August 2021, Chrysler Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance Organization opened an investigation into a reported trend of fires in certain Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs. Since August 2021, there have been five customer records and twelve field reports relating to this issue. The potentially affected vehicles include 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs manufactured between August 12, 2016, when production of Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs began, and ended on August 7, 2018, when the 2018 model year production ended. Chrysler will conduct a voluntary safety recall on all affected vehicles.

Although the automaker is still investigating the cause, the fire risk is likely due to corrosion of an electrical connection inside the Pacifica’s 12-volt battery system. This system is used to power auxiliary features, including radios and garage door openers, and is not part of the vehicle’s plug-in hybrid propulsion system. However, only hybrid vehicles are included in this recall.

According to the NHTSA defect report, “Certain 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles may experience a fire, even with the ignition in the “OFF” mode. A vehicle fire can result in an increased risk of occupant injury and/or injury to persons outside the vehicle, as well as property damage.”

Because the remedy is under development, Chrysler is advising owners of these hybrid vehicles to refrain from recharging them and to park them away from structures and other vehicles. Owners can keep operating the vehicles using the internal combustion engine.

Ford F-150 Transmission Shifts Into Neutral While Driving

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Some 2021 Ford F-150 trucks could unexpectedly shift into neutral while driving. The unexpected loss of engine power could increase the chance of an accident.

In February 2022, an issue was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) about certain 2021 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI, 2.7L, and 5.0L engines, along with the 10R80 transmission. These trucks were experiencing an increase in Transmission Fluid Pressure along with a Transmission Fluid Pressure Low Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) of P0868. This DTC would falsely activate and cause the transmission to shift into a neutral state while the truck was driven. Once the false activation occurs, the vehicle will coast to a stop and the electronic shifter will attempt to engage Park. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the electronic shifter will automatically shift into Park.

According to the engineering investigation, one of the power-train diagnostic logic software branches was turned on in error when these vehicles were produced. Under certain conditions, this diagnostic logic could inadvertently activate the pump gear failure detection logic even though the hardware is still functioning properly. When this happens, the transmission on-board diagnostics will set the DTC P0868, turn on a Wrench Light telltale, and the vehicle’s transmission will shift into a neutral state. As the vehicle slows to a speed below 2 mph/3kph, the electronic shifter will attempt to engage the Park function and will automatically shift into Park when the vehicle comes to a complete stop. The transmission function can be restored by a key-off/key-on cycle.

Between October 2021 and February 2022 there have been 28 warranty claims and one Customer Contact Center report to Ford that potentially related to this concern.

Dealers will correct the problem by updating the Power-train Control Module (PCM) software. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S15 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-188.

California Lemon Law Success Stories

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The California lemon law provides protection for consumers of defective vehicles sold or leased in California by making sellers and manufacturers responsible for their warranties. A vehicle is considered a “lemon” if the manufacturer or dealer has had four or more attempts to repair the defect or two attempts if the defect is life-threatening.

Law Office Of Barry Edzant.Since 1989, Mr. Edzant has earned a reputation as the Santa Clarita lemon law and personal injury lawyer, clients can trust. His firsthand knowledge of faulty vehicle repairs helps him better understand the struggle to protect buyers’ rights, giving him the experience to negotiate where possible and the tenacity to litigate when necessary. With his firm on your side, you can feel confident that your rights will be protected and that all available resources will be exhausted in making sure you receive fair compensation for your losses.

Our Priority… Protect And Enforce Our Clients’ Rights

Representing Owners Of Dangerously Designed Automobiles

$2,000,000.00 to date – Confidential Manufacturer

August 2021 to March 2022: Our office has been representing owners of a dangerously designed automobile manufactured between 2017 to 2021. To date, we have been successful in getting the manufacturer of this vehicle to either give our clients a full repurchase, or cash sufficient to make them whole. Removing these dangerous vehicles from our clients’ homes has been our firm’s mission since we learned about the defects and the severe risks these vehicles can cause.

Successfully Resolved Lemon Law November 2021

$250,000.00 – Confidential Manufacturer

Our office successfully resolved a case for a buyer of a new vehicle that had suspension failures on two occasions within the first two months of ownership. Prior to filing the lawsuit, we approached the manufacturer and asked them to repurchase the vehicle. They refused, and we filed a lawsuit for our client. The lawsuit resulted in getting our client the repurchase of the vehicle, and a substantial civil penalty for the manufacturer’s rejection of our pre-litigation demands. We are one of the few law firms that attempt to resolve lemon law cases informally prior to filing lawsuits. This cooperative approach will often result in quick resolutions for our clients without the stress of protracted litigation. However, if the case calls for it, we will nevertheless vigorously litigate to protect and enforce our clients’ rights.

Are you experiencing repeated safety problems with your vehicle? Do you think it could be a lemon? If you have any questions about your rights and the California Lemon Law, please call our office at 888-395-3666 and get some great Lemon Law advice!

Unreliable HV Battery Connection May Cause 2021 VW ID.4 To Stall & Not Start

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Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) will be asking a small number of 2021 VW ID.4 electric crossover SUV owners, to return to their dealerships because of a problem affecting the solder connections inside the HV battery of their vehicles. This defect could result in a stall and may increase the risk of an accident. A fix for this problem is still under development by the manufacturer.

VW became aware of the defect in January 2021 when the first known field case occurred outside the U.S. VW quality and safety departments began to monitor the field reports for the nature and frequency of the non-starting condition and found reports of similar problems in other brand vehicles using the same or similar battery systems. During a multi-brand clearing committee meeting, impacted brands shared information on the potential stall while driving cases and decided to conduct a recall. Volkswagen will be conducting a recall on 351, 2021 VW ID.4 vehicles in the U.S. that contain the potentially affected parts.

According to the defect report, a manufacturing problem with the high voltage (HV) battery may have caused incorrect soldering on specific points of the flexible printed circuit assembly (FPCA). The amount of solder contact points of the FPCA is not sufficient and the thickness of the solder layer is out of tolerance parameters. The result is an unreliable connection inside the HV battery that could lead to a breakdown or stalling while driving. If this issue is present in the vehicle, the driver will be alerted by a high voltage system warning message in the instrument panel.

Owner notification letters about the defect are expected to be mailed by May 13, 2022. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 9302 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-1562.

Are you experiencing repeated problems with your hybrid or electric vehicle? Do you think it could be a lemon? If you have any questions about your rights and the California Lemon Law, please call our office at 888-395-3666 and get some great Lemon Law advice!

GM Extends Warranty On Chevy Express And GMC Savanna For EGR Cooler Failure

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Certain 2013-2014 model year Chevrolet Express and 2013-2014 model year GMC Savana HD vehicles equipped with 6.6L Duramax diesel engines (RPO LGH) could experience a malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination because of a problem affecting the Exhaust Gas Re-circulation (EGR) cooler.

clogged EGR

EGR coolers can fail for a few different reasons. Coolant passageways become clogged and prevent exhaust gas from cooling, some EGR coolers may be susceptible to corrosion, and repeated cycling of extreme temperatures (thermal stress) can all cause your EGR to fail.

There are a few indications that your EGR is failing: the engine idles rough and stalls; there is an increase in fuel consumption and a decrease in performance; the engine management light is always on, and there is a smell of fuel in and around the vehicle.

General Motors is providing owners of certain 2013-2014 Chevrolet Express and 2013-2014 GMC Savana HD vehicles equipped with 6.6L Duramax diesel engines vehicles, with additional warranty protection. This special coverage covers the problem described above for a period of 10 years or 120,000 miles (193,000 km), whichever occurs first. The warranty covers the vehicles from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.

** GM should notify customers if this special warranty coverage is on their vehicle.**

Repairs and adjustments qualifying under this special coverage must be performed by a General Motors dealer.

View the complete warranty document here: MC-10150564-9999.pdf

Ford Escape And Lincoln Corsair Hybrid High Voltage Battery Failure

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A small number of 2021-2022 Ford Escape and 2022 Lincoln Corsair hybrid power-train SUVs have been manufactured with a high voltage battery that could fail and result in a sudden loss of motor power. The problem was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group in October 2021 after an issue pertaining to an overheated high voltage battery bus bar was reported in Germany. Through a search of warranty reports, Ford identified an additional vehicle in Europe that reported a loss of function due to the overheated high voltage battery bus-bar.

During the manufacturing process, the high voltage bus-bar pad was not properly seated and could cause the pad to be mounted out of position prior to bus-bar welding. This condition could reduce the contact area between the cell terminal and the bus bar, giving it a high resistance. The high resistance could eventually result in an overheat situation.

According to the defect report, an overheated bus bar terminal may create a high resistance connection that could cause the battery pack high voltage bus voltage to fall below an operational level. If this happens, the hybrid power-train control module will sense the high voltage and detect a fault. A diagnostic trouble code will be sent and the vehicle will lose power. Drivers will also notice a “Stop Safely Now” warning message displayed on the instrument panel.

Ford’s team reviewed supplier process and production records to determine the population of affected parts. Affected vehicles are equipped with the 2.5L Hybrid power train and the suspect high voltage battery pack.

Dealers will replace the high voltage battery. Ford’s number for this recall is 21S48 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-149.

Do you think your Ford Escape or Lincoln Corsair could be a Lemon? Don’t live with a Lemon, especially if the problems you are having are safety-related. If you have any questions about your rights and the California Lemon Law, please call our office at 888-395-3666 for some great Lemon Law advice.

Brake Master Cylinder Leak In Ford And Lincoln Trucks

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Certain 2016-2018 Ford and Lincoln, trucks and SUVs equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines could require more braking effort and distance to stop the vehicle. Ford will be asking owners to return to their dealerships for repairs.

In May 2016, Ford issued a recall (16V-345) for F-150s equipped with the 3.5L Ecoboost engines, because the brake master cylinder could leak and allow brake fluid from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster. After continued field data monitoring and discussions with NHTSA, Ford issued a second recall (20V-332), to extend the population for F-150s.

Ford continued to monitor field reports expanding the coverage into Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles built during the same period. These vehicles share a similar brake master cylinder design as the F-150 3.5L Ecoboost vehicles

Investigation into supplier records and discussion with the supplier identified additional steps taken by the supplier to further improve brake master cylinder seal installation from August 2016 to December 2016. These include an automated process to remove imperfect threads from the master cylinder outlet port, as well as actions to improve the installation of the rearmost cup seal in the master cylinder. Master cylinders with these improvements were incorporated into vehicle production by January 31, 2017.

In March 2022, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved a safety
recall action. Ford is aware of 4 low-speed/low-impact accident allegations with no injuries.

Vehicles manufactured with these defective fuel injectors include:
2016-2017 Ford Expedition
2016-2018 Ford F-150
2016-2017 Lincoln Navigator

Dealers will correct the problem by replacing the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-332. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S11 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-150.

GM Extends Warranty On Trucks For Defective Fuel Injectors

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General Motors (GM) will be providing owners of certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC trucks additional warranty coverage because of a problem that could affect the fuel injectors in their engines. The trucks receiving additional warranty are equipped with 5.3L or 6.2L engines.

Vehicles manufactured with these defective fuel injectors include:
2016-2017 Cadillac Escalade
2016-2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado
2016-2017 Chevrolet Suburban
2016-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe
2016-2017 GMC Sierra
2016-2017 GMC Yukon
2016-2017 GMC Yukon XL

** GM will notify customers if this special warranty coverage is on their vehicle.**

The special coverage will extend the warranty of the above vehicles, for a period of 10 years or 150,000 miles (240,000km), whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally purchased, regardless of ownership. This special coverage only applies to vehicles in these states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

According to documents released by GM, “Under certain circumstances, one or more of the vehicle’s fuel injectors may deliver an improper amount of fuel to the engine. If this happens, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (the Check Engine Light) will illuminate to warn the driver there is a problem. The engine will begin to run rough and will eventually stall. Diagnostic trouble codes, including P0300-P0308 or DTC P050D, will be set.

Other symptoms of a bad or dirty fuel injector include: The vehicle is hard to start and idles rough; Poor performance and increased fuel consumption; and an engine knock or detonation that could lead to complete engine failure.