Ducharme v. a & S RV CENTER, INC.

321 F. Supp. 2d 843, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11402, 2004 WL 1381124
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedJanuary 16, 2004
Docket03-70729
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 321 F. Supp. 2d 843 (Ducharme v. a & S RV CENTER, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ducharme v. a & S RV CENTER, INC., 321 F. Supp. 2d 843, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11402, 2004 WL 1381124 (E.D. Mich. 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

COHN, District Judge.

This is a breach of warranty case arising out the purchase of a motor home. Plaintiffs Robert Ducharme and Patricia Duc-harme, husband and wife, claim the motor home is defective. Defendants, and their respective roles regarding the motor home are as follows:

• A & S RV Center (A & S) sold the motor home
• Fleetwood Motor Homes manufactured the (Fleetwood) coach portion of the motor home
• Oxford Bank financed the motor home
• Freightliner Custom Chassis
Corp. (FCCC) manufactured the chassis
• Cummins Engine Company
(Cummins) manufactured the engine

The Ducharmes bring the following claims against all of the defendants: (1) breach of express warranty, (2) breach of implied warranty of merchantability, (3) breach of written warranty under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA), 15 U.S.C. § 2301, (4) breach of Implied warranty under the MMWA, (5) violation of Michigan Consumer Protection Act, and (6) shaken faith. 1

Before the Court are defendants’ motions for summary judgment, filed as follows: (1) A & S, Fleetwood, and Oxford Bank’s motion for summary judgment, (2) FCCC’s motion for summary judgment, 2 and (3) Cummins’ motion for summary judgment. For the reasons that follow, the motions will be granted and this case will be dismissed.

I. Background

The material facts as gleaned from the parties’ papers follow: 3

A. General

On July 27, 1999, Robert Ducharme signed a purchase agreement for a 1999 Bounder Motor home. The motor home cost approximately $120,000.00. The motor home was financed through Oxford Bank. The financing agreement is signed by both Robert and Patricia Ducharme. Title to the motor home is in Robert Duc-harme’s name only.

The Ducharmes say that the motor home has been in for service on at least 21 occasions and out of service for more than 285 days since its purchase, 107 of those days were during the first year of ownership.

The Ducharmes list some 19 parts that were replaced, ranging from relatively minor parts such as reinforcing the bracket for the TV to major parts such as replacing the engine block. 4 They also list 26 *846 parts of the motor home that have been worked on because of damage or defect. They identify 4 of the most significant problems as follows: (1) the engine — noting the cracked engine block in 2001 (see n. 4) (2) brakes — noting a brake failure in March of 2003, (3) chassis — noting that the rear axle is not properly aligned, causing it to “dog track,” (4) coach — noting “current” problems with the interior area of the motor home such as doors that will not close properly and the jacks failing. The Duc-harmes have had the motor home inspected by a mechanic, Nick Bastían, whom they designate an expert witness, who states in his affidavit that the motor home has the following problems:

1. Rear end alignment
2. Various oil leaks
3. Oil/rear axle fluids frm differential dig area noted
4. Front leveling jacks not working, suspect solinoid
5. Sliding closet doors do not roll properly after coach is driving
6. Right side motor mounts appear new — cannot determine why they had to be replaced

The motor home has over 34,000 miles on it. The Ducharmes and their family have taken at least 18 trips in it, including trips to New Mexico, Florida, Nevada, and most recently to South Carolina in 2003. However, Patricia Ducharme says she no longer will ride in the motor home because she does not feel it is safe.

B. The Warranties

At the time of purchase, the Ducharmes were furnished a copy of the purchase agreement from A & S. They were also given warranty documents from the manufacturers: Fleetwood, FCCC, and Cum-mins which set forth express limited warranties. Relevant portions of the purchase agreement and warranty documents follow.

1. A & S 5

The front page of the purchase agreement states, in all capital letters:

NOTE: WARRANTY AND EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF DAMAGES ON THE REVERSE SIDE

The reverse side of the purchase agreement contains the following (also in capital letters and in bold type):

10. EXCLUSION OF WARRANTIES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED ARE EXCLUDE BY YOU FROM THIS TRANSACTION AND SHALL NOT APPLY TO THE GOODS SOLD. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MAKE NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER REGARDING THE UNIT OR ANY APPLIANCE OR COMPONENT CONTAINED THEREIN, EXCEPT THAT AS MAY BE REQUIRED UNDER APPLICABLE STATE LAW.
11. MANUFACTURERS WARRANTIES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE MAY BE WRITTEN WARRANTIES COVERING THE UNIT ... YOU WILL GIVE ME COPIES OF ALL WRITTEN WARRANTIES SUPPLIED BY THE MANUFACTURERS. DELIVERY BY YOU TO ME OF *847 THE WARRANTY BY THE MANUFACTURER OF THE UNIT PURCHASED OR ANY APPLIANCES OR COMPONENTS DOES NOT MEAN YOU ADOPT THE WARRANTY(S) OF SUCH MANUFACTURERS. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THESE EXPRESS WARRANTIES MADE BY THE MANUFACTURERS HAVE NOT BEEN MADE BY YOU EVEN IF THEY SAY YOU MADE THEM OR SAY YOU MADE SOME OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTY. YOU ARE NOT AN AGENT FOR THE MANUFACTURERS FOR WARRANTY PURPOSES EVEN IF YOU COMPLETE, OR ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE REPAIR FOR THE MANUFACTURERS.
12. LIMITATION ON DAMAGES. IF THE MANUFACTURERS’ WARRANTY IS LIMITED TO REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AND SUCH WARRANTY FAILS BECAUSE OF ATTEMPT AT REPAIR ARE NOT COMPLETED WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME OR THE MANUFACTURERS HAS (HAVE) GONE OUT OF BUSINESS, I AGREE, THAT IF I AM ENTITLED TO ANY DAMAGES AT ALL AGAINST YOU, MY DAMAGES ARE LIMITED TO THE LESSER OF EITHER THE COST OF NEEDED REPAIRS OR REDUCTION IN THE MARKET VALUE OF THE UNIT CAUSED BY THE LACK OF REPAIRS. IN ANY CASE, YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PAY ME ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. I ALSO AGREE THAT ONCE I HAVE ACCEPTED THE UNIT, EVEN THOUGH THE MANUFACTURER(S) WARRANTY DOES NOT ACCOMPLISH IT’S [SIC] PURPOSE, THAT I CANNOT RETURN THE UNIT TO YOU AND SEEK A REFUND FOR ANY REASON.
2. Fleetwood

Fleetwood furnished a one-year/three-year limited warranty. It provides in relevant part:

1.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
321 F. Supp. 2d 843, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11402, 2004 WL 1381124, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ducharme-v-a-s-rv-center-inc-mied-2004.