Chrysler Sued Over Interiors
The lowest volume of the big three automakers, Chrysler has suffered recently. Although the 300, Magnum, and Charger may have continued a longstanding tradition of last-minute groundbreaking vehicles saving the historic automaker’s hide (refer to the famous K-car and Caravan), Chrysler and Dodge have been hit hard by much criticism of their lower-spec models’ interiors. While the upper level models may be well appointed, the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, and Dodge Nitro specifically have been hit especially hard. Well-known English journalist Jeremy Clarkson titled the Sebring “almost certainly the worst car in the entire world.”
So, it should come as no surprise that Chrysler’s sales have plummeted. Once a strong seller, the Sebring and its Dodge-branded cousin, the Avenger, are mere showroom shadows of their former selves. As such, Chrysler has cut orders for the blasphemous interior from supplier Faurecia. Responsible for the engineering and production of the interiors of the PT Cruiser, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, Faurecia’s list of references reads like a who’s who of terrible interiors.
However, somehow the company that has singlehandedly earned Chrysler more criticism for releasing foul plastic products than China received over the recent melamine debacles feels they are owed some reparations since Chrysler axed their orders for interiors; reparations to the tune of $110 million US. Claiming Chrysler has reneged on a few of the up-front costs of developing the interior systems for those vehicles, the lawsuit alleges that those up-front costs were to be recouped in the agreed-upon item cost based upon the expected production figures. However, when Chrysler reduced their order size, Faurecia proposed a price increase on each item to redistribute the up-front costs. When Chrysler refused the proposal, Faurecia claimed that Chrysler has turned the Faurecia-sourced system designs over to Chinese companies to fill orders for similar systems in other vehicles.