Settlement Reached Over Steering Damper

I had not planned on posting this as I considered it “old news”, but now Jeep owners are getting mailed notifications of a proposed settlement. The original lawsuit alleged that 2018-2020 Jeep Wrangler and 2020 Jeep Gladiator vehicles have a front suspension steering damper defect, that can cause the vehicle to “shake”. Social Media outlets have had LONG discussions about this “death wobble” and as usual, everyone is an expert. I received the notice as well.

The settlement is NOT an admission of any wrongdoing. FCA US has agreed to provide a warranty extension of up to 8 years or 90,000 miles, to cover parts and labor to replace the steering damper, OR may reimburse the owner for any out-of-pocket costs that were spent to replace the damper.

Plaintiff Clair Reynolds filed the Jeep steering damper lawsuit in June 2019 which was amended in January 2020 to add additional plaintiffs and claims.

Then in March 2020, plaintiff Melinda Martinez filed a Jeep steering damper class action lawsuit which was later consolidated with the Reynolds lawsuit.

According to the Jeep steering damper class action settlement, plaintiffs Clair Reynolds, Monica Martirano, William Martin Powers, Trina Hancock, Melinda Martinez and Brady Laing will receive $4,000 each. The attorneys representing those plaintiffs will receive $3,950,000.

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