Case result · Electrical / Infotainment

$97,600 Recovered on a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon That Spent 82 Days in the Shop

Down payment, every monthly payment, and $28,000 in trade-in equity – all of it came back.

$97,600recovered for the client
1.12xthe statutory refund
82countable days out of service
5repair visits

The math

What this client actually received

Every figure below comes from the settlement documents in this case. Nothing is rounded up, and nothing is left out.

What the client received

Statutory refundThe formula written into the Song-Beverly Act $87,492.99
Civil penaltiesAwarded where the manufacturer's failure was willful plus$10,107.82
Paid to the client $97,600.81
Attorney fees$0Paid by the manufacturer, not the client
Vehicle
2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
VIN
1C4RJXSJ6RW••••••
Bought
New
Contract
Finance
Miles at delivery
14
Price
$93,500.00
Manufacturer
FCA US, LLC (Stellantis)
Outcome
Buyback + civil penalties
  • $97,600.81 recovered
  • 82 days out of service
  • 57-day single repair visit
  • $28,000 trade-in equity recovered

The case

Repeat radio/display blackouts, dead battery, seat hardware – 82 countable days out of service

Our client traded in her vehicle, $28,000 in equity, and put $10,000 down on a new 2024 Wrangler Rubicon. At 838 miles, it would not start. That dead battery was the first entry in what became an 84-day service history.

The radio and display system blacked out with vertical lines across the screen, then did it again after the TSB fix, then again after the radio itself was replaced. Add a failed battery and a driver's seat panel that had to be replaced, and the pattern was clear: this was not one bad part, it was a vehicle that kept going back.

The repair record

82 countable days out of service

Five visits, 82 countable days out of service, including one single visit that lasted 57 days. California law presumes a vehicle is a lemon at 30 days out of service during the presumption period. This Jeep nearly tripled that.

  1. 011 day

    838 miles

    Vehicle would not start; had to be jump-started

    What the dealer did

    Battery failed load test; battery replaced

    • Battery
    Counts toward days out of serviceVerified
  2. 021 day

    16,617 miles

    Radio screen shows vertical lines and intermittently blacks out

    What the dealer did

    Body control module configuration restored per TSB 08-100-24

    • Body control module (BCM)
    Counts toward days out of serviceVerified
  3. 032 days

    23,423 miles

    Maintenance visit (multi-point inspection)

    What the dealer did

    Multi-point inspection

    Not countedN/A (maintenance)
  4. 0457 days

    25,614 miles

    Radio screen blacks out again with lines; A/C not blowing from face vents; driver seat lumbar button pushed inward

    What the dealer did

    Radio replaced for internal failure; driver seat panel and lumbar switch replaced; A/C could not be duplicated

    • Radio unit
    • Driver seat panel / lumbar switch
    • A/C system
    Counts toward days out of serviceVerified (radio, seat); A/C not verified
  5. 0523 days

    28,056 miles

    Radio blackout reported again; A/C airflow stuck on one setting; creak noise when turning

    What the dealer did

    Could not duplicate radio or A/C concerns; creak traced to a hanging mirror accessory

    • Radio system
    • A/C system
    Counts toward days out of serviceNot verified

The turning point

Why the manufacturer paid

FCA's position was that each issue had been fixed and none recurred enough to force a buyback. The 82 days told a different story: whatever the individual repairs, our client had lost the use of a $93,500 vehicle for nearly three months of ownership. We pressed the days-out-of-service theory and did not settle for a token payment.

The result

How it ended

FCA repurchased the Jeep: $97,600.81 total, the $10,000 down payment, $69,439.66 in monthly payments, the full $28,000 trade-in equity, and $10,107.82 in civil penalties, less only the statutory mileage offset. FCA paid our fees separately.

  • 08-100-24

What this case shows

Days out of service win cases. Keep every repair order, even for the visits where the dealer 'could not duplicate' the problem.

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