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outlaw17
Dodge Dakota
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3/10/2004
23:27:18
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 Subject: N.C. firm files class-action suit over D
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N.C. firm files class-action suit over Dodge Durangos
03/10/2004
By STEVE HARTSOE / Associated Press
A class-action lawsuit filed by a Greensboro law firm claims DaimlerChrysler should repair alleged defects in Dodge Durangos made between 1998-2003.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not issued a recall of the sport utility vehicles. But the agency started investigating Durangos last year after four drivers reported the failure of an upper ball joint on the Durango's front suspension.
In two of those cases, the front wheels separated from the Durango. In the other two cases, the front suspension collapsed. All four drivers lost control of their vehicles, although no injuries were reported.
An NHTSA spokesman said Wednesday the agency has received 749 complaints alleging that the front suspension ball joints are wearing out prematurely.
The class-action lawsuit was filed March 5 in Durham County Superior Court on behalf of North Carolina attorney John Bussian, who had to pay for the replacement of ball joints on his 1998 Durango.
The suit says Dodge should repair an unspecified number of 1998-2003 Durangos owned or leased by people in the United States, except in Wisconsin where two similar suits already have been filed.
About 450,000 Durangos of the applicable model years were on U.S. roads last year.
According to the suit, DaimlerChrysler has long been aware of the problem, but has failed to take any corrective action.
The plaintiffs contend the SUVs were defective from day one "because they have a tendency for wheels to fall off, which defeats the purpose of a vehicle," said Greensboro attorney Jon Wall. "Nobody should have to drive a vehicle with the fear that the wheels are going to fall off."
The suit places repair costs at $750 to $1,200 per vehicle, depending on location and other factors. It estimates that fewer than 100 consumers will take part in the litigation and stipulates that each claim would not exceed $75,000.
Wall said Germany-based DaimlerChrysler will have 45 days to respond to the suit once the company is served. Wall said Wednesday he didn't know when that will happen.
A spokeswoman for DaimlerChrysler in Michigan said the company had not seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment on it.
Mary Gauthier added that the 2004 model has been redesigned and uses an "entirely different suspension system."
The federal government continues to receive complaints about the earlier models, said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesman Tim Hurd.
"We'll continue (to investigate) until we establish a recall is necessary, or it could always be dropped if there's no safety defect," Hurd said.
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Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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3/11/2004
01:28:51
|  RE: N.C. firm files class-action suit over D
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That's great! Now if they will also repair the Gen3 Daks (which use the same chassis unless I am mistaken) which suffer from the same problem, it'd be great. By the way, I live about 20min from that court-house.
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John Grishom
Dodge Dakota
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3/11/2004
08:26:13
| RE: N.C. firm files class-action suit over D
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Lawyers......... Always looking on the behalf of consumers. We'll get a free oil change and they will get millions
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