Upcoming FTC arbitration hearing advice

[Bmcgill]

As I said in my intro, my 2020 1500 ecodiesel engine died, dealer had it 9.5 weeks and replaced the starter and fuel rails. 2 weeks later oil pressure light came on out of state (from Utah now on trip in CA). Dealer in CA told me it would be fixed quickly. I knew otherwise. They have now had it 4 weeks. They gave me a paper to contact the FTC arbitration. I filed the necessary paperwork and they ACCEPTED my case and now I have teleconference hearing July 25. I believe i have a solid case but I'm wondering if anyone else has done this and if so do you have any advice. I'm seeking a new truck or 100% of my purchase price so I can replace my truck. I've been without my truck for 3 months. Yes they gave me a loaner, it's part of my warranty, however I drive diesel and the they give me gas which gets about half the mileage. I'm thinking of asking for money to cover the additional gas cost and I have every receipt from getting gas. Or at least give me half of the gas cost due to the poor mileage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kickboxer]

It is too bad to hear of your troubles. You have done the right thing.

You lost me though, when you said the gas gets only half the mileage of the
diesel.......it leaves me confused......

 

[Bmcgill]

My truck gets about 29 mpg freeway and 23-25 city. The gas truck they gave me for 9.5 weeks maybe got 20 mpg on the best day. And now they gave me a charger that doesn't get as good of mileage either but they wouldn't let me drive out of state to get home so I left it with my mom and have had to borrow her car for the past 3 going on 4 weeks. My truck gets fabulous mpg

 

[06 Dodge]

As I said in my intro, my 2020 1500 ecodiesel engine died, dealer had it 9.5 weeks and replaced the starter and fuel rails. 2 weeks later oil pressure light came on out of state (from Utah now on trip in CA). Dealer in CA told me it would be fixed quickly. I knew otherwise. They have now had it 4 weeks. They gave me a paper to contact the FTC arbitration. I filed the necessary paperwork and they ACCEPTED my case and now I have teleconference hearing July 25. I believe i have a solid case but I'm wondering if anyone else has done this and if so do you have any advice. I'm seeking a new truck or 100% of my purchase price so I can replace my truck. I've been without my truck for 3 months. Yes they gave me a loaner, it's part of my warranty, however I drive diesel and the they give me gas which gets about half the mileage. I'm thinking of asking for money to cover the additional gas cost and I have every receipt from getting gas. Or at least give me half of the gas cost due to the poor mileage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Could be wrong but don't think you will get anything for fuel but it sure doesn't hurt to ask, ask for the sun, stars and moon but be willing to settle for just the moon, good luck

 

[Bmcgill]

That's my plan. Thank you. It won't hurt to ask

 

[BWL]

They will likely be thinking along the lines that not putting mileage on your truck would counter the extra fuel cost. Doesn't hurt to ask though. With current part shortages and processing time for major mechanical work I expect there's a lot of people in your situation.

 

[Bmcgill]

All my parts were available, after I started talking about lemon laws. And the current issue they can't figure out.

 

[Farmer Fran]

You should be able to contact your state DA and get exactly what you are owed in writing. My state is very consumer friendly. I cannot remember the exact but you get back all taxes, fees etc, minus mileage. And I like RAM as much as the next person but the hell i would buy another one.

 

[jejb]

Good advice above. Wouldn't hurt to run it by your states AG office.

I went through this process some years ago with Ford. It went my way, thankfully. I had filed all the requested paperwork and the dealer/Ford only made a half-hearted attempt to refute it. I ended up getting full purchase price/tax/license minus some small charge per mile. Truck was a year old, 12K miles. I was a little worried that it was a rigged game, but it worked well for me. I hope you get your buyback also. Sure sounds like you should.

Won't hurt to ask for other expenses, but I wouldn't get your hopes up about them.

 

[NH RAM]

When I had issues with my 2014 Ram that I got new, I didn't end up going to arbitration, I worked it our with FCA after talking to the dealer I purchased from; they advocated for me as they wanted a happy customer. I was out of my truck for a few months and I asked for them to pay my lease payments for the time I was out of my vehicle and they did. I also got a Maxcare warranty added on to my truck for no charge, which transferred to the truck I traded it in for a short time later. If you haven't considered asking for your payment on the truck you don't have the use of, I would. If you are considering another Ram, see if they will add on the longest duration MaxCare warranty; explain that you really like your truck, but you need to be able to count on it, and with the price of trucks these days it's hard to commit to a truck that just let you down without some assurance from the manufacturer.

Best of luck to you, it sucks not having your truck. Fortunately my two Rams that followed my 2014 have been good to me...so far. Every company has problems, it's how they handle the problems that matters the most to me.

 

[Bmcgill]

I paid my truck off the 2nd month I had it. I only financed it because the dealer said it helped them and I could pay it off after the 1st month.
I do love my truck and have missed it the 3 months plus I haven't had it. If they offer me a new truck to repalce this 1 I'd be happy with it, as long as it includes ALL the warranties I bought. I bought every warranty offered.
Thank you for the well wishes.

 

[J rock]

As I said in my intro, my 2020 1500 ecodiesel engine died, dealer had it 9.5 weeks and replaced the starter and fuel rails. 2 weeks later oil pressure light came on out of state (from Utah now on trip in CA). Dealer in CA told me it would be fixed quickly. I knew otherwise. They have now had it 4 weeks. They gave me a paper to contact the FTC arbitration. I filed the necessary paperwork and they ACCEPTED my case and now I have teleconference hearing July 25. I believe i have a solid case but I'm wondering if anyone else has done this and if so do you have any advice. I'm seeking a new truck or 100% of my purchase price so I can replace my truck. I've been without my truck for 3 months. Yes they gave me a loaner, it's part of my warranty, however I drive diesel and the they give me gas which gets about half the mileage. I'm thinking of asking for money to cover the additional gas cost and I have every receipt from getting gas. Or at least give me half of the gas cost due to the poor mileage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I also have a eco diesel 2021 where my fuel pump imploded and I needed a completed fuel system rebuild, fuel pump, fuel rails, injectors etc. dealer has had my truck for 4 months and Stellantis is trying to screw me, they only offered oil changes get a lawyer or you will get nowhere, I promise

 

[Burla]

Have a demand, ask them to take the truck, tell them it is what you want, and your money back, or live with the problem and a pocket of cash, I'd take door number 1 though. Is it "binding" arbitration? If not, it will depend on what the state laws whether stellantis will even fight it. In CA, dealers simply cave to whatever the owner wants, because the laws are protective. I know first hand, a dealer messed with me, I sued, they made a great offer and out of spite I turned it down because I was pized they refused to even work on my truck, they came back and made it sweeter, I accepted, lol.

The problem for you is if you were in time to a lemon law case, their are time restraints, if you are in this window you have all the power in the world, if you are out of this label see local laws, then you must take what you get in arbitration, you must continue to work with dealer.

 

[Burla]

wow, it looks like Utah is even better then CA, as long as it is under factory warranty you are protected, which means you can go to local court, and if you win they have to pay. In CA you only have 18 months. You may have to keep taking it in to get 30 days or 4 attempts.

• The vehicle was purchased or leased in the state of Utah;
• The vehicle is still under the manufacturer’s warranty;
• The vehicle meets the law’s weight requirements; and
• The manufacturer has had at least four attempts to repair the defect or the car was non-operational for at least 30 days as a result of the defect. In all cases, the repairs or out-of-service dates must be within the first year of purchase or within the warranty period. 30-day used car lemon law allowances are not available.

 

[Burla]

As I said in my intro, my 2020 1500 ecodiesel engine died, dealer had it 9.5 weeks and replaced the starter and fuel rails. 2 weeks later oil pressure light came on out of state (from Utah now on trip in CA). Dealer in CA told me it would be fixed quickly. I knew otherwise. They have now had it 4 weeks. They gave me a paper to contact the FTC arbitration. I filed the necessary paperwork and they ACCEPTED my case and now I have teleconference hearing July 25. I believe i have a solid case but I'm wondering if anyone else has done this and if so do you have any advice. I'm seeking a new truck or 100% of my purchase price so I can replace my truck. I've been without my truck for 3 months. Yes they gave me a loaner, it's part of my warranty, however I drive diesel and the they give me gas which gets about half the mileage. I'm thinking of asking for money to cover the additional gas cost and I have every receipt from getting gas. Or at least give me half of the gas cost due to the poor mileage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

mind you arbitration favors dealer, you can opt out if you didnt sign something, literally go see a lemon law lawyer, they take a moderate amount and don't get paid unless you win. I got 13 grand for a minor issue, lawyer got 3, I got a check for 10 grand in a day, I kept the truck too with a minor defect. Or you can wait and see what they will do, if you arent happy, get a lawyer. Judges don't like auto manu's that dont honor warranties are incompetent. In the law there is always a saying, which side is in the wrong. You did nothing wrong, they did, you win, end of story.

 

[Wanted33]

As a Union Exec for years in my second life the most important thing is to be direct, and don't add any unessary info to the questions. Stick with the truth, and don't make any demands. Just ask if so & so can be done (like gas money for mileage). I will bet this won't be the Arbitrators first rodeo. So be nice, truthful, and let the process work for you. Good Luck........

Jim

 

[Bmcgill]

Have a demand, ask them to take the truck, tell them it is what you want, and your money back, or live with the problem and a pocket of cash, I'd take door number 1 though. Is it "binding" arbitration? If not, it will depend on what the state laws whether stellantis will even fight it. In CA, dealers simply cave to whatever the owner wants, because the laws are protective. I know first hand, a dealer messed with me, I sued, they made a great offer and out of spite I turned it down because I was pized they refused to even work on my truck, they came back and made it sweeter, I accepted, lol.

The problem for you is if you were in time to a lemon law case, their are time restraints, if you are in this window you have all the power in the world, if you are out of this label see local laws, then you must take what you get in arbitration, you must continue to work with dealer.

The arbitration is not binding, as far as I can see in the FTC paperwork. Being that I still don't have it back and haven't had it for another month, I believe I've got a pretty good case. The dealer it is currently stuck at opening told me it's a lemon. They have not been able to figure out why the oil light kept coming on and sought to get a new engine. They told me yesterday, they have the new engine since last week but have been waiting for someone to put it in! At this point I don't want them to do a thing because I just want a new truck. In my mind, replacing the engine still doesn't cover all the other components that could go wrong. It fixes the current issue, but not anything else. I have not told them anything, other than the case was accepted. I feel it is up to their company to tell them. I believe I'm within the timeframe for the Lemon Law in Utah. I took it in at 11 months for an acceleration issue and error code D1. They said they couldn't duplicate it and gave it back. This puts me within the timeframe. Thanks for the encouragement. At this point I want to be able to compensate my mother who has had to give me her car since they wouldn't allow me to take their loaner across state lines.

 

[Burla]

BTW, I wouldnt mention the gas mileage thing personally, you don't want to give the judge any bad taste. Eventhough it is legit, they so far have acted in good faith. There is a formula for depreciation and you want to be on the right side of that, which can be a huge difference. In other words, the judge can say the dealer is only responsible for a depreciated cost and not a full refund, they can also choose to ignore that to an extent. Last thing, if you get a lemon law lawyer they will settle out of court with a slam dunk case like this, this is the best move for you, you never want to see a judge if you can get it done on the "courtroom steps". You can add that number to what you would settle for w/o directly asking for it. Stellantis will not want to pay court and lawyer fees here, but you will need a lawyer to convince them you are serious, sadly those do cost. Even if you get a new truck, that piece will probably cost you 3k out of pocket, maybe more. Don't let the lawyer charge you his percentage against the total cost of a new truck, because your truck has value. Lawyers will listen and generally want cases to go away quick, they make a living on volume just like workers comp lawyers. Generally speaking, lawyers in these two areas are very fair and reasonable, not like criminal law or things like divorce, those people are vultures.

see what arbitration will bring you, but don't be afraid to tell them you will talk to lemon lawyer.

 

[Bmcgill]

As a Union Exec for years in my second life the most important thing is to be direct, and don't add any unessary info to the questions. Stick with the truth, and don't make any demands. Just ask if so & so can be done (like gas money for mileage). I will bet this won't be the Arbitrators first rodeo. So be nice, truthful, and let the process work for you. Good Luck........

Jim

Thank you. This is what I had planned to do. Listen to the arbitrator. Stick with what my paperwork says and ask if compensation is possible. Trying not be angry since I know it's no one's fault, it's just Murphy's law for me with vehicles. So far, I have been extremely impressed with the rapid response from FTC. I know neither dealer wants to have a vehicle in their shop or on their lot for weeks/months on end. I would probably be less frustrated if they would simply communicate with me weekly, even to say they don't have any news to report, just acknowledging that they are aware they still have it. It seems they forget it's sitting there until I call and ask what is happening.
Thank you so much for the input, it helps me a lot!

 

[Burla]

good luck to you.

Sadly contract and warranty cases don't allow for the pain of dealing with a lemon, it just isnt part of the deal.