3.6 Pentastar Class Action Lawsuit Update: Claims and Repair Costs

The 3.6 Pentastar class action lawsuit, filed as Maugain et al. v. FCA US LLC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware on January 28, 2022, is still active. No class has been certified and no settlement has been reached. The most recent docket activity is from June 18, 2026, and the case is moving through fact discovery on the claims that survived the motion to dismiss.¹

What the Lawsuit Claims Is Wrong with the Engine

The complaint targets the valve train inside the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The parts singled out are the rocker arms and the needle bearings inside them, the hydraulic lifters with their spring-loaded locking pins, the camshaft, and the engine control module software that governs lifter timing.² When these components break down, metal debris enters the oil and circulates through the engine, damaging other parts along the way.

Owners describe a familiar progression. It starts with a ticking noise from the engine bay, often called the “Pentastar tick” in owner communities. Misfires follow, causing the vehicle to buck and surge. Power drops. In the worst cases the engine quits entirely while the vehicle is being driven.³

The plaintiffs allege FCA has known about the problem since at least 2013 and directed dealers to swap failed parts with replacements built to the same flawed design, which they say leaves owners paying for the same repair more than once. The amended complaint pegs out-of-pocket valve train repairs at $1,500 to $4,500 and full engine replacements above $6,000.⁴

Vehicles in the Proposed Class

The proposed class covers 2014-and-later vehicles across all four Stellantis brands equipped with the 3.6L Pentastar V6. The specific models and years named in the amended complaint are:⁵

Chrysler: 2014–2016 Town & Country, 2014–2022 300, 2014–2017 200, 2017–2022 Pacifica, 2020–2022 Voyager
Dodge: 2014 Avenger, 2014–2019 Journey, 2014–2022 Challenger, 2014–2022 Charger, 2014–2022 Durango, 2014–2020 Grand Caravan
Jeep: 2014–2022 Grand Cherokee, 2014–2022 Wrangler, 2020–2022 Gladiator
RAM: 2014–2022 RAM 1500, 2014–2022 ProMaster

The class is proposed, not certified. The court has not yet ruled on whether the case can proceed on behalf of every owner of these vehicles or only the named plaintiffs.

Where the Case Stands

On February 7, 2023, Judge Gregory B. Williams granted in part and denied in part FCA’s motion to dismiss.⁶ The ruling narrowed the case but kept the central theory intact.

Claims that survived: breach of implied warranty under the laws of multiple states, and unjust enrichment. The court found the plaintiffs had alleged enough at this stage to show the defect exists across the covered vehicles.

Claims dismissed: all fraud and fraudulent-omission counts, breach of express warranty, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claim, California’s Unfair Competition Law claim, and the New York implied warranty claim. The fraud counts fell because the court concluded the plaintiffs’ evidence (two FCA service bulletins from 2014 and 2017, plus NHTSA complaints and forum posts) did not sufficiently show FCA knew before selling the vehicles that the defect extended to camshafts, lifters, and electronic modules. The 2014 bulletin addressed only “missing or worn needle bearings” and “collapsed lash adjusters,” and the 2017 bulletin covered rocker arm replacements for high-RPM misfires.⁶

FCA also argued the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring claims under the laws of states where none of them lived, or for vehicle models none of them owned. The court rejected that argument, reasoning that every vehicle in the proposed class carries the same engine with the same allegedly defective valve train. Standing questions tied to specific vehicle differences were left for the class certification stage.⁷

The plaintiffs filed a motion for reargument on February 17, 2023, asking the court to reconsider dismissal of the fraud claims and other dropped counts. That motion is still pending on the latest information available.⁵

Class counsel has described the parties as engaged in intensive fact discovery.⁵ An earlier scheduling order set a fact-discovery deadline of August 1, 2023, but with multiple judicial reassignments, a contested motion to dismiss, and the pending reargument motion, that timeline has moved.¹

Repair Costs and the Separate Warranty Question

Dealer repair bills reported by owners run roughly $3,000 to $4,000 out of pocket, with parts alone around $500 for do-it-yourself work. Some owners have negotiated discretionary “goodwill” reductions by contacting the manufacturer, including one reported 75 percent reduction on a $4,000 bill, but that assistance is case-by-case.⁸ Typical repairs replace the camshaft and rocker arms, and sometimes the cylinder head if visible damage is present.

Stellantis has offered an extended warranty of 10 years or 150,000 miles on some vehicles that develop the ticking noise from a left cylinder head defect. Eligibility is reportedly restricted to specific VINs, and a separate lawsuit, Melson v. FCA US LLC, alleges owners with identical parts were denied coverage because their VINs were not on the eligibility list.⁹

In May 2025, Stellantis issued TSB 09-011-25, addressing trouble codes, rough idle, and valve train noise on the second-generation “Pentastar Upgrade” engine. It covers a wide slate of 2018–2025 RAM 1500, Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, and 2022–2025 RAM ProMaster models built before specific cutoff dates.¹⁰ The repair uses a service kit with a new intake camshaft, rocker arms, sealer, and gaskets for the affected cylinder bank.¹¹ The TSB is classified as “information only” and does not by itself authorize a warranty repair or amount to a recall.

What Owners Can Do Now

Because no class has been certified, there is nothing to join and no claim form to submit. Owners of the listed model years do not need to opt in at this stage; if certification is granted later, the court will set a notice process for class members. In the meantime, keep repair invoices, dealer diagnostic printouts, and any correspondence about warranty coverage or goodwill assistance. Check whether your VIN is covered under the extended 10-year/150,000-mile warranty for the left cylinder head issue before paying out of pocket, and ask the dealer in writing whether TSB 09-011-25 applies to your engine and symptoms.

The surviving claims (breach of implied warranty and unjust enrichment) still have to move through the remainder of discovery, any summary judgment motions, and a class certification ruling before a trial or settlement becomes realistic. The docket continues to show activity into mid-2026.¹

1
CourtListener. Maugain v. FCA US LLC Docket
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ClassAction.org. Maugain et al. v. FCA US LLC Complaint
3
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. Maugain et al. v. FCA US LLC
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Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. Maugain v. FCA First Amended Complaint
5
Berger Montague. Maugain et al. v. FCA US LLC
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U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Maugain et al. v. FCA US LLC, Memorandum Opinion
7
CarComplaints.com. Chrysler Pentastar Engine Lawsuit Partly Dismissed
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Jeep Gladiator Forum. Dreaded Pentastar Tick Maybe Cost to Repair
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ClassAction.org. FCA US Hit With Class Action Over Allegedly Refusing Warranty Coverage for Pentastar V-6 Engine Ticking Defect
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OEM DTC. TSB 09-011-25
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Stellpower. New TSB Solution for Pentastar Trouble Codes, Rough Idle, and Noise