Ram Diesel Owners Suing FCA, Cummins Over Inflated Fuel Economy

Stephen Elmer / July 4, 2017

A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Cummins over issues with certain 2013-2017 RAM 2500 and 3500 heavy duty pickups.

The lawsuit, filed by Hagens Berman, claims that a defect in the engine can lead to lower gas mileage, higher emissions outputs and expensive repairs.

In all those trucks fitted with a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine, the suit claims that the selective catalytic converter (SCR) system breaks down, allowing the filter to get clogged, resulting in the need for more fuel to be burned. In an attempted fix, FCA dealers have been re-flashing the computers on these trucks, but the suit claims that this also prompts the truck to burn more fuel to keep the filter clean.

In total, the lawsuit says that the fuel economy on these trucks has been dropping as much as 25 percent.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Hagens Berman is going after FCA and Cummins for “charges of fraudulent concealment, breach of warranty, violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and violations of several state consumer protection laws,” according to the firm.

Further, Hagens Berman claims there is an issue with the washcoat sealant applied to the SCR which contributed to the high emissions, a problem that FCA has known about since 2014 but has not acted on.

Currently FCA and Cummins are suing each other over the issue, as the automaker believes the engine builder should have to foot the bill for the recall. Cummins, of course, disagrees, and blames FCA for the problem. “FCA refuses [to effect the recall] for one reason – money. FCA is holding both Cummins and its own customers hostage to FCA’s commercial demands,” according to Cummins.

A separate class-action lawsuit has already been brought against FCA and Cummins by Hagens Berman, claiming that these diesel engines also have emissions cheating software in them. And on top of that, FCA is also under fire from the U.S. government for alleged emissions cheating software in its smaller 3.0-liter diesel vehicles.