The vehicles we drive are a major part of our lives. They are a major expense and we expect them to provide safe and reliable transportation.
Some vehicles, however, may contain manufacturing or design defects that can pose a danger to our families and others on the road. Even if these defects do not create a potential safety issue, they might result in costly repairs to consumers. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf hold automotive manufacturers accountable for these defects.
Some examples of common vehicle defects include:
- Engine malfunction
- Excessive oil consumption
- Transmission failure or slippage
- Infotainment and navigation defects
- Door latch, seatbelt and airbag malfunction
- Premature brake wear
- Premature suspension wear and failure
- Premature tire failure
Notable Automotive Achievements
- Bang v. BMW of North America, LLC, et al. (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain BMW vehicles with N63 engines containing alleged oil consumption defect)
- Baranco v. Ford Motor Company (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Ford vehicles containing defective door latch assemblies that can cause unwarranted “door ajar” warnings leading to the doors not locking and the batteries depleting)
- Davitt v. Honda North America, Inc., (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of Honda CR-V vehicles with alleged defective door lock actuators)
- Henderson v. Volvo Cars of North America LLC, et al. (class action on behalf of 90,000 purchasers and lessees of Volvo vehicles with defective GM4T65 automatic transmissions)
- In re: General Motors Corp. Air Conditioning Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation – (class action on behalf of owners and lessees of 2015-17 Cadillac Escalade models, 2014-17 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 models, 2015-17 Chevrolet Suburban models, 2015-17 Chevrolet Tahoe models, 2014-17 GMC Sierra 1500 models, and 2015-17 GMC Yukon models for defective air conditioning systems)
- In re: Kia Engine Litigation (class action settlement on behalf of approximately 10 million purchasers and lessees of certain Kia Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles with alleged connecting rod bearing defect resulting in engine failure)
- In re: Subaru Battery Drain Products Liability Litigation (class action settlement on behalf of over 3.5 million class members alleging that the Subaru Settlement Class Vehicles suffer from a design defect that results in parasitic battery drain and failure);
- Kinnick v. Hyundai Motor America, Inc., (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Hyundai Sonata, Tucson and Santa Fe vehicles with alleged connecting rod bearing defect resulting in engine failure)
- Lax v. Toyota Motor Corporation (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Toyota vehicles with alleged oil consumption defect)
- Mendoza v. Hyundai Motor America, Inc., (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Hyundai Sonata vehicles with alleged connecting rod bearing defect resulting in engine failure)
- McKee v. General Motors (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado trucks with defective 6L50 transmissions)
- Neale v. Volvo Cars of North America LLC, et al. (certified class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Volvo vehicles with alleged defective sunroof water drainage systems)
- Rivera v. Ford Motor Company, (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Ford Focus vehicles with alleged defective Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) systems causing sudden and unexpected engine stalling)
- Salcedo v. Subaru of America, Inc., (D.N.J.) (class action on behalf of owners and lessees of MY 2012-2017 Subaru WRX and WRX STi vehicles with alleged connecting rod bearing defect resulting in engine failure)
- Squires et al. v. Toyota Motor Corp., et al. (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of Toyota Prius vehicles with alleged defective windshields prone to sudden cracking)
- Tolmasoff v. General Motors, LLC, (E.D. Mich.) (as co-lead counsel Sauder Schelkopf achieved a $6 million nationwide settlement in class action involving a claim of overstated miles-per-gallon in GM vehicles)
- Wallis v. Kia Motors America, Inc., (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Kia vehicles with alleged connecting rod bearing defect resulting in engine failure)
- Whalen v. Ford Motor Co., (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Ford and Lincoln vehicles with alleged defective MyFord Touch infotainment systems)
- Yaeger v. Subaru of America, Inc., (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Subaru vehicles with alleged oil consumption defect)
- Zhao, et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., et al. (class action settlement on behalf of over 4 million class members that alleged the primary engine water pumps in certain 2014 through 2021 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles equipped with 1.8 or 2.0 liter engines are defective and may prematurely fail)
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