2023 Dodge Challenger Lemon Law Case Study — Texas
A 2023 Dodge Challenger With a Cracked Cylinder — Triggered by a Stellantis Recall — That Has Spent Over 350 Days in the Shop
Our Texas client purchased a 2023 Dodge Challenger — the final model year of an iconic American muscle car before Stellantis discontinued the nameplate — backed by FCA US LLC’s full new-vehicle limited warranty. When Stellantis issued a spark plug recall on the vehicle, our client brought the Challenger to the dealer as directed. What should have been a routine recall service turned into a catastrophic engine failure.
Immediately after the recall service, our client noticed a misfire in cylinder #8 and the check engine light illuminated. Inspection revealed a “milkshake-like” substance in the oil pan — the unmistakable sign of coolant mixing with engine oil, indicating severe internal engine damage. A more thorough diagnosis confirmed the root cause: a cracked cylinder. The vehicle has remained in the dealer’s service bay since May 29, 2025 while Stellantis’s authorized repair network attempts to address the damage.
Easy Lemon filed a demand against FCA US LLC (Stellantis) citing both the Texas Lemon Law (Tex. Occ. Code Ann. §§ 2301.601–613) and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.). Stellantis settled for $27,000 Cash and Keep — our client receives full compensation and retains ownership of the Challenger. Stellantis paid all attorney fees separately; our client paid nothing.
What Went Wrong
- Stellantis-issued spark plug recall performed at the dealer’s direction — the vehicle was brought in to comply with a manufacturer-issued recall on the spark plug system
- Cylinder #8 misfire appeared immediately after the recall service, along with check engine light illumination — a defect sequence directly tied to the recall service event
- “Milkshake-like” substance discovered in the oil pan — coolant contaminating the engine oil, a signature of severe internal engine damage (cracked block, cracked head, or failed head gasket)
- Oil cooler had previously been replaced at a different dealership, indicating pre-existing thermal management stress in the engine prior to the recall service
- Cracked cylinder confirmed upon deeper inspection — catastrophic structural failure of an engine component that cannot be resolved with a routine part swap
- Vehicle has been continuously out of service since May 29, 2025 — more than 350 calendar days without resolution as of the settlement date
One Recall Service That Led to 350+ Days Without a Vehicle
Prior to May 29, 2025 — Oil Cooler Replacement
- Our client had previously brought the 2023 Dodge Challenger to a different Stellantis dealer, where the oil cooler was replaced under warranty
- The oil cooler replacement is significant: it indicates the engine was already experiencing thermal and fluid management stress before the spark plug recall service was performed
- Despite the oil cooler replacement, the issue persisted — the “milkshake” contamination in the oil pan continued after that repair
May 29, 2025 — Spark Plug Recall Service and Engine Failure Discovered
- Stellantis issued a spark plug recall applicable to the 2023 Dodge Challenger; our client brought the vehicle to the dealer for the mandatory recall service as directed by the manufacturer
- After the recall service was completed, cylinder #8 began misfiring and the check engine light illuminated — new symptoms that had not been present before the recall visit
- Inspection found a “milkshake-like” substance in the oil pan — a visual indication of coolant entering the oil system, which points to a breach in the engine block or cylinder head integrity
- Further diagnosis confirmed a cracked cylinder — a structural failure of one of the engine’s core combustion chambers, requiring engine replacement or a major rebuild
- Vehicle remained at the dealer from May 29, 2025 onward, with the repair still unresolved as of settlement more than 350 calendar days later
Why a Recall-Triggered Cracked Cylinder Qualifies Under Texas Lemon Law
Texas’s Lemon Law (Tex. Occ. Code Ann. §§ 2301.601–613) requires that a manufacturer repair a new vehicle’s warranty nonconformities within a reasonable number of attempts. When the manufacturer fails — either through too many repair visits or an extended loss of use — the owner is entitled to a refund, replacement, or, in negotiated settlements, cash compensation. This case presented a uniquely powerful factual pattern that gave Stellantis little room to dispute liability.
- Texas Lemon Law — out-of-service threshold met and far exceeded: Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 2301.605 provides that a vehicle qualifies for relief when it has been out of service for 30 or more calendar days for warranty repairs. Our client’s Challenger has been out of service for more than 350 consecutive days — more than eleven times the statutory floor — and the repair remains unresolved
- Recall service as the triggering event: A manufacturer-issued recall directed our client to bring the Challenger to a Stellantis dealer. The misfire, coolant contamination, and cracked cylinder all emerged after and in direct connection to that recall service. The manufacturer cannot issue a recall, perform the service, cause engine damage in the process, and then deny warranty responsibility for the resulting failure
- Cracked cylinder is a major safety and driveability impairment: A cracked cylinder allows combustion gases, coolant, and oil to intermingle in ways that can cause sudden loss of engine power, engine seizure, overheating, and — if the vehicle is driven — risk of catastrophic mechanical failure. This satisfies the “substantial impairment of use, value, or safety” standard under both state and federal law
- Prior oil cooler replacement establishes a documented failure pattern: The fact that a Stellantis dealer had already replaced the oil cooler under warranty before the current repair visit shows the engine’s thermal management system was compromised, and that the manufacturer’s previous repair failed to correct the root cause — exactly the pattern the lemon law targets
- Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.): The Magnuson-Moss Act provides a parallel federal remedy whenever a written warranty is breached. Because FCA US LLC issued a written warranty covering the 2023 Dodge Challenger, and because the engine failure began during a manufacturer-directed recall service and has not been repaired after 350+ days, the breach is clear. The Act’s attorney-fee-shifting provision ensured our client received 100% of the $27,000 settlement, with Stellantis paying all legal fees separately
- 2023 Dodge Challenger context — final model year: Stellantis discontinued the Dodge Challenger nameplate after the 2023 model year. Buyers of final-year production vehicles often face parts supply challenges during warranty repairs — a dynamic our legal team documented as a contributing factor to the extended repair duration and a basis for additional compensation
How Easy Lemon Built This Case Against Stellantis
Free Case Evaluation
We reviewed the complete repair history: the prior oil cooler replacement at a separate Stellantis dealer, the May 29, 2025 recall service visit, the cylinder #8 misfire and check engine light appearing after the recall, the “milkshake” contamination finding, and the cracked cylinder diagnosis. The single-visit timeline, combined with 350+ days out of service, made the threshold analysis immediate.
Documentation & Case Building
Our team preserved every repair order from both dealer visits, the Stellantis recall notice that directed our client to the dealership, the technician’s own diagnosis documents describing the milkshake contamination and cracked cylinder, and the loaner or transportation records confirming the vehicle was continuously out of service. We documented the pre-existing oil cooler failure as evidence of a broader engine system nonconformity that the manufacturer’s prior repair had not resolved.
Demand to FCA US LLC (Stellantis)
We filed a formal demand against FCA US LLC citing Tex. Occ. Code Ann. §§ 2301.601–613 and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Our demand documented the recall-to-failure sequence, the cracked cylinder diagnosis, the coolant-oil contamination, the failed prior oil cooler repair, and the 350+ consecutive days our client had been without the vehicle they purchased in good faith.
$27,000 Cash and Keep Settlement
Easy Lemon negotiated a $27,000 Cash and Keep settlement with Stellantis. Our client receives full cash compensation for diminished value, extended loss of use, and the significant inconvenience of being without a vehicle for over a year — while retaining ownership of the 2023 Dodge Challenger, a now-discontinued model. Stellantis paid all attorney fees separately under federal fee-shifting law.
$27,000 Cash and Keep Settlement Secured
Key Case Facts
- Vehicle: 2023 Dodge Challenger (final production model year)
- State: Texas
- Manufacturer: FCA US LLC (Stellantis)
- Triggering event: Stellantis-issued spark plug recall; misfire and engine damage discovered after recall service
- Primary defect: Cylinder #8 misfire, coolant-oil contamination (“milkshake” in oil pan), cracked cylinder confirmed
- Prior repair: Oil cooler replacement at a separate Stellantis dealer — issue persisted
- Date vehicle entered repair: May 29, 2025 (repair ongoing as of settlement)
- Days out of service: 350+ consecutive calendar days — more than 11x Texas’s 30-day lemon law threshold
- Repair visits: 1 (with an active prior repair history on the same engine system)
- Settlement amount: $27,000 Cash and Keep
- Settlement type: Cash and Keep — client retains the Challenger
- Applicable law: Tex. Occ. Code Ann. §§ 2301.601–613 (Texas Lemon Law); federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.
- Client fees paid: $0 — Stellantis paid all attorney fees under federal fee-shifting law
Results may vary. Prior outcomes do not guarantee a similar result. Each case is unique and depends on its specific facts and applicable law. Attorney advertising. Easy Lemon® by RockPoint Law P.C.
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Attorney on Record
Steven Nassi, Esq.
Managing Partner — Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C.
Licensed attorney specializing exclusively in lemon law across all 50 states. Steven leads the Easy Lemon legal team and has overseen thousands of successful lemon law claims against major manufacturers including Stellantis, General Motors, Ford, and more.
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