Friday, July 26, 2013

JAGUAR ROOF RATTLE


Owners of the 2009 Jaguar XF and other models have complained of roof rattle. A claim is currently pending seeking lemon law relief for this problem and a malfunctioning navigation system.


Jaguar/ Land Rover has disputed the claim arguing,

"This is a simple lemon law case involving a 2009 Jaguar XF. The alleged recurring concerns are an interior roof rattle and an intermittently inoperable navigation unit. Despite the insubstantial nature of these concerns, plaintiffs want their vehicle bought back. Defendant will present expert testimony and dealership witnesses to support their case.

At issue in this motion are whether plaintiffs can circumvent the clear language of the Song-Beverly statute and argue that the repair orders, rather than the alleged nonconformities, substantially impairs value, where plaintiffs have no competent evidence supporting such an argument whatsoever."

Soheil DARDASHTI and Suzan Dardashti, Plaintiffs, v. JAGUAR LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA, LLC, and Doe 1 through Doe 10 inclusive, Defendants.United States District Court, C.D. California 


Law Office of Howard A. Gutman 
230 Route 206, Suite 307 
Flanders, New Jersey 07836 
(973) 598-1980 (tel) 
(973) 531-4110 (fax) 

New York Office
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New York, New York 10017 
howardgutman@aol.com 
www.lemonlawclaims.com 




Thursday, July 25, 2013

GENERAL MOTORS WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND TIRE WEAR CLASS ACTION


A class action charges that certain GM vehicle have a defect causing misalignment, tire wear, and related problems.


  • "Model year 2007 and 2008 Impalas were primarily manufactured by General Motors Corporation, although some may have been manufactured by General Motors Company. General Motors Company acquired substantially all of the assets and assumed some of the liabilities of General Motors Corporation, when the former filed for bankruptcy relief in 2009. General Motors Company assumed the express warranty liabilities of General Motors Corporation, including those which Plaintiffs and the class now seek to enforce. General Motors Company is the Defendant in this action and is referred to hereinafter as “GM” or “General Motors.”
  • The model year 2007 and 2008 Impalas were sold with common defective rear spindle rods that caused and continue to cause wheel misalignment and premature tire wear. Even though it has issued a recall bulletin for model year 2007 and 2008 Impalas operated as police vehicles, GM has failed to honor its warranties with Plaintiff and the putative class, by failing to correct the manufacturing defect in their vehicles. There are no relevant material differences between police vehicles and class members' vehicles relating the defective spindle rods.
  • The fact that GM moved to fix certain Impalas shows that it knew of the defect. Despite this, GM continued to sell and has refused to honor the warranties on hundreds of thousands of defective and potentially unsafe vehicles.
  • This class action seeks damages, injunctive and declaratory relief on behalf of a class of all persons who purchased model years 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Impalas."





Law Office of Howard A. Gutman 
230 Route 206, Suite 307 
Flanders, New Jersey 07836 
(973) 598-1980 (tel) 
(973) 531-4110 (fax) 

New York Office
315 Madison Avenue, Suite 901 
New York, New York 10017 
howardgutman@aol.com 
www.lemonlawclaims.com 










Wednesday, July 24, 2013

NISSAN TIMING CHAIN CLASS ACTION



A class action has been filed dealing with failures of the timing chain on multiple Nissan models.

The timing chain ensures that the engine valves are synchronized. Fast moving and sharp edged, the timing chains have protective surfaces intended to prevent both harmful metal-on metal-contact and “slack” in the chain. Due to a defect in the timing chain system, these protective surfaces are subject to premature degradation, which may lead to catastrophic engine failure; without notice, under any driving conditions, and at any speed (“Timing Chain Defect”). The Timing Chain Defect is widespread, costs thousands of dollars to repair, presents a safety hazard, and, on information and belief, was known or should have been known to Defendants prior to sale or lease of the Class Vehicles in 2005.


The Class Vehicles' timing chain consists of one primary and two secondary timing chains. The timing chains rotate sprockets that, in turn, control the movement of the engine valves. The fast-moving, metal timing chains are held at the proper tension and position by protective coverings on the tensioner “shoes” and guides. However, the Timing Chain Defect causes the timing chains to wear away their protective contact surfaces, leading to improper chain positioning, metal-on-metal contact, improper “slack” in the chain, and the risk of severe engine damage. The Timing Chain Defect necessitates costly repairs. Falco v. Nissan, No. BC498238.








Law Office of Howard A. Gutman 
230 Route 206, Suite 307 
Flanders, New Jersey 07836 
(973) 598-1980 (tel) 
(973) 531-4110 (fax) 

New York Office
315 Madison Avenue, Suite 901 
New York, New York 10017 
howardgutman@aol.com 
www.lemonlawclaims.com 











Tuesday, July 23, 2013

VOLKSWAGEN/AUDI OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM



A class action has been filed Volkswagen Group of America, claiming 2008-2012 VW and Audi vehicles with 2.0-liter turbocharged engines had defective oil consumption systems.  Owners may be entitled to compensation for vehicle problems, repair costs, and/or diminished use.  (see below).   The complaint discussed consumer problems with oil consumption

NHTSA Complaint: PURCHASED 2008 AUDI A4 NEW FROM DEALERSHIP IN OCTOBER 2007. TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE NOTICE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM AT 1QT EVERY 1,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP SAYS THIS IS NORMAL BUT MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS NOT. WITH THE HELP OF A PRO-BONO ATTORNEY CONTACTED AUDI AND DEMANDED REPAIR AT 12 000 MILES. AUDI REPLACED RINGS AND CAR WAS FINE FOR 24,000 MILES. AT 36000 MILES LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON -1 QT LOW AGAIN. HAD OIL CHANGED BY MY MECHANIC AND TWO DAYS LATER A NEW PROBLEM - LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT COMES ON. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH CAR (NO CODES DRIVES FINE). I DEMAND THROUGH AUDI AN OIL PRESSURE TEST. TEST CAME BACK NORMAL. THEY TOLD ME TO DRIVE THE CAR AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON EVERY 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING. THE CAR GOES BACK IN THE SHOP AGAIN THIS WEEK. CAR IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE. *TR

• NHTSA Complaint: VW PASSAT 2008 LOW OIL LIGHT COME ON BEFORE SCHEDULE OIL CHANGE


FREQUENTLY. THE CAR BURNS OIL BECAUSE OF THE TURBO ENGINE. AND THE EMISSION SYSTEM HAS A VALVE FAILURE TOO. *TR • NHTSA Complaint: MY '08 PASSAT WITH A 2.0 T ENGINE BURNS THROUGH A GREAT DEAL OF OIL. ABOUT ½ LITER PER 1,000 MILES. IT IS A NEW CAR (NOW 28000 MILES) AND SHOULD NOT BURN OIL! VW STATES THIS OIL CONSUMPTION IS NORMAL BUT I DISAGREE. I LEASE THE CAR AND HAVE HAD ALL MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE DEALER. I MUST FREQUENTLY ADD OIL TO THE ENGINE AND HAVE BROUGHT IT IN TO BE SERVICED FOR THIS OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES. FROM RESEARCH DONE ONLINE, THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM UNIQUE TO ME. PLEASE HELP! *TR



                                 FREE CONSULTATION ON YOUR OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM

Law Office of Howard A. Gutman 
230 Route 206, Suite 307 
Flanders, New Jersey 07836 
(973) 598-1980 (tel) 
(973) 531-4110 (fax) 

New York Office
315 Madison Avenue, Suite 901 
New York, New York 10017 
howardgutman@aol.com 
www.lemonlawclaims.com 













FREE CONSULTATION ON YOUR VOLKSWAGEN OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM

CALL 973-598-1980

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE TRANSMISSION CLASS ACTION


A federal judge in Fort Smith, Ark., has dismissed a class action lawsuit alleging that 2003-2007 Volkswagen New Beetles have a transmission defect that causes difficult and unpredictable shifting during normal driving.


White et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America Inc., No. 2:11-CV-2243, 2013 WL 685298 (W.D. Ark., Fort Smith Div. Feb. 25, 2013).


White, along with Jennifer LaChance and Isabel Hodgson, claimed in their amended class-action complaint that the problem eventually requires costly transmission repairs or replacement. They also said VW was aware of the defect when the cars were manufactured and sold.

VW offered two warranties on New Beetles: a limited new vehicle warranty covering four years or 50,000 miles, and a limited powertrain warranty of five years or 60,000 miles.

In November 2010 Volkswagen alerted customers about the defect and offered to extend warranty coverage for the valve body in the transmission system to seven years or 100,000 miles.

The offer did not cover transmission replacement but only “diagnosis and repair of the transmission valve body,” according to Judge Holmes' opinion.

The plaintiffs, however, said valve body defects damaged the entire system, forcing them to replace their transmissions at a cost of several thousand dollars.

Their suit on behalf of themselves and a nationwide class sought damages for breach of express warranty and unjust enrichment. Westlaw Automotive.










Law Office of Howard A. Gutman 
230 Route 206, Suite 307 
Flanders, New Jersey 07836 
(973) 598-1980 (tel) 
(973) 531-4110 (fax) 

New York Office
315 Madison Avenue, Suite 901 
New York, New York 10017 
howardgutman@aol.com 
www.lemonlawclaims.com 

















Nissan dashboard defect

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed a suit alleging dashboard defects in certain Nissan vehicles to stay in Missouri state court because the plaintiff is not seeking enough damages for federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act.
CAFA, 28 U.S.C. § 1332, calls for federal jurisdiction in class actions involving more than $5 million in damages claims.
 
Robert Hurst sued Nissan in the Jackson County Circuit Court in 2009, alleging that 2003-2007 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 models had dashboards prone to surface bubbling.  See Westlaw Automotive

Honda Window Regulator Defect

A federal judge in Los Angeles will allow claims that certain Honda window regulator mechanisms are defective to proceed under the state's Consumer Legal Remedies Act and unfair-competition law.
 
According to an order by Judge Wilson, Phyllis Grodzitsky and other owners of 2000-2011 Honda Odysseys, Pilots, Elements, Accords, CR-Vs and Civics, and Acura MDX, TSX, RL and CL vehicles, filed a class-action suit against American Honda Motor Co.
They claimed a faulty regulator caused the side windows to become inoperable or fall partially or fully open and that the condition that could cause glass shattering.
 
In denying the motion to dismiss the claim the judge also said the complaint “contains a wealth of specific factual allegations that, taken as true, support a plausible inference that defendant was aware of the window regulator defect at the time it sold the class vehicles.”
He added that because the plaintiffs have presented a viable CLRA claim, they have also sufficiently alleged a claim under the state unfair-competition law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, on a theory that Honda has engaged in an “unlawful” practice.  See Westlaw Journal Automotive.