2021 Durango SRT HELLCAT Owners Head Back to Court

The legal battle between 2021 Dodge Durango SRT HELLCAT owners and Stellantis is heating up again after failed mediation attempts. Owners of the high-performance SUV are taking Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Stellantis back to court, claiming they were misled into believing the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT HELLCAT would be a one-year-only production run. The lawsuit alleges this misinformation led buyers to view the SUV as a rare, limited-edition collector’s item — a claim they argue was shattered when Dodge announced the return of the HELLCAT model for the 2023 model year.

The class action lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, represents around 3,000 owners who purchased the 2021 Durango SRT HELLCAT under the impression that it was a unique, single-year offering. Plaintiffs include Stacy Phillips (Virginia), Lawrence Willis (Texas), Eli Negron III (New York), Jason Van Genderen (California), Christian Papana (Illinois), Mark Hollingsworth (Georgia), and Jeffrey G. Heintz, Sr. (Florida). They’re represented by deLeeuw Law LLC, Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C., and Migliaccio & Rathod LLP.

At the heart of the lawsuit are statements made by then-Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis. In a 2020 promotional video and several interviews, Kuniskis declared that the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT HELLCAT would be a “single model year run,” emphasizing its exclusivity. “The HELLCAT Durango will be a single model year run. When we turn the order books over to the ’22 model year, the Durango HELLCAT will be gone. So you’ve only got one shot,” Kuniskis said. This statement convinced many buyers that the 2021 HELLCAT would become a sought-after collectible.

The Durango SRT HELLCAT, celebrated for being the most powerful production SUV in the world, features a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® HELLCAT V8 engine delivering 710 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque. It boasts an impressive towing capacity of 8,700 lbs (3,946 kg) and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. These performance credentials, combined with the promise of limited production, made the vehicle an attractive investment for enthusiasts and collectors.

However, in August 2022, Dodge announced that the Durango SRT HELLCAT would return for the 2023 model year, breaking the earlier promise of a single-year production run. This decision infuriated 2021 owners, who felt their vehicles’ perceived rarity and investment value were undermined. “Plaintiffs purchased their SUVs based on Defendants’ representations that it was a ‘limited edition,’ ‘one-year model run only,’ making it a ‘suitable investment’ and ‘eventual collector’s item,’” the lawsuit states.

Stellantis and FCA, however, argue that the plaintiffs’ claims lack merit. The automaker points out that none of the plaintiffs assert their vehicles were defective or failed to perform as advertised. FCA’s motion to dismiss also highlights that none of the plaintiffs have demonstrated any financial loss or attempted to sell their vehicles at a diminished value. Furthermore, the automaker contends that the statements made about the vehicle’s production were forward-looking and not legally binding promises.

“Statements about future expected production do not constitute fraudulent misrepresentations,” FCA’s legal team stated. They also argue that the 2021 model’s limited run was due to stricter evaporative emissions regulations taking effect in 2022, which initially prevented further production. When FCA engineers found a solution to meet those requirements, the company resumed production with the 2023 model.

As the lawsuit moves forward, the court will determine whether FCA’s statements amounted to misleading advertising or were merely non-binding projections. Regardless of the outcome, the case underscores the importance of clarity and transparency in automotive marketing, especially when it comes to high-demand, limited-edition models.

Source: CarCompliants.com