Morrison v. Chrysler Corp.

270 F. Supp. 107, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8681
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedApril 21, 1967
DocketCiv. A. No. 66-525
StatusPublished

This text of 270 F. Supp. 107 (Morrison v. Chrysler Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morrison v. Chrysler Corp., 270 F. Supp. 107, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8681 (D.S.C. 1967).

Opinion

ORDER

HEMPHILL, District Judge.

On July 20, 1966 plaintiffs filed their complaint seeking recovery against defendants for “breach of its (Chrysler’s) manufacturer’s passenger car warranty and fraud.” They demanded actual and punitive damages in the sum of $25,000 and costs. The complaint stated, in substance, that the Morrisons had purchased from authorized dealer Langston Motors, Inc. of Charleston Heights a 1966 Plymouth “Satellite” for the price of $4,-556.41. They were given a warranty by Chrysler which is alleged as follows:

FIFTH: That the obligation of CHRYSLER CORPORATION under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing, at its option, any part or parts of the passenger car that proves to be defective within the applicable provisions of this warranty; [108]*108that service under this warranty shall be performed by any CHRYSLER MOTORS CORPORATION authorized dealer, at the dealer’s place of business, without charge for replacing parts or labor.

The complaint further states that shortly after the purchase of the car, defects appeared, troubles descended, and, at great inconvenience, expense, loss of time, etc., plaintiffs had the car repaired by Langston. They alleged that the vehicle was a used vehicle with many defects and that defendant, with knowledge of the defects and with knowledge that it could not carry out its warranty to repair or replace, sold the car under the warranty and perpetrated a fraud upon the plaintiffs. An offer to rescind the contract of sale was also alleged.

Defendants generally deny the allegations of the complaint, including the existence of the alleged defects. They maintain that no privity1 exists between the parties, and they allege generally that warranty obligations have been fulfilled.

Plaintiff’s exhibit 3, introduced at the trial, was a hard paper back pamphlet on the cover of which was written in large letters “Plymouth Belvedere”, and in conspicuous but smaller letters, “1966 Operating Instructions (Includes Warranty).” On page 2 of this pamphlet was the “Manufacturer’s Passenger Car Warranty”. Those which applied in this particular warranty were as follows:

(1) Chrysler Corporation, as manufacturer warrants to the original purchaser the new vehicle identified herein, including all equipment or accessories (except tires) manufactured or supplied by it, to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service for twelve thousand (12,000) miles of operation or twelve (12) months after delivery to the original purchaser, whichever event occurs first.
(2) As an express condition of the application of this warranty to the engine, the owner is required to have the engine oil changed every three months or 4,000 miles, whichever comes first, and the engine oil filter replaced every second oil change. The owner must retain evidence that such service has been performed.
(3) Chrysler Corporation’s obligation under this warranty is limited to repairing or, at its option, replacing any part or parts of the vehicle that prove to be defective within the provisions of this warranty. Service under this warranty shall be performed by any Chrysler Motors Corporation Authorized Dealer, at the dealer’s place of business, without charge for replacement parts or labor.
(4) This warranty shall not apply if the engine or drive train components of the vehicle shall have been altered from the manufacturer’s specifications or modified in any manner; nor shall this warranty apply to any repairs or services required as a result of using parts not sold or approved by Chrysler Corporation. This warranty shall not apply if the vehicle shall have been subject to misuse, negligence, or accident. Misuse of the vehicle includes, but is not limited to, all forms of extreme operation, such as racing or other sustained high speed use, acceleration trials or wide-open throttle operation or other high speed acceleration, or shifting transmission gears at high engine RPM.
(5) This warranty does not apply to parts replacements, mechanical adjustments, repairs or other servicing normally made or required as maintenance, such as replacing spark plugs, condensers, ignition points, filters, etc., or performing wheel alignments, wheel balancing, brake adjustments, engine tune-ups, cleaning fuel system, etc.
(6) THIS WARRANTY IS THE ONLY WARRANTY APPLICABLE TO THE VEHICLE IDENTIFIED HEREIN AND IS EXPRESSLY IN [109]*109LIEU OF ANY WARRANTIES OTHERWISE IMPLIED BY LAW: INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE REMEDIES UNDER THIS WARRANTY SHALL BE THE ONLY REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE OR ANY OTHER PERSON, AND NEITHER CHRYSLER CORPORATION, CHRYSLER MOTORS CORPORATION NOR THE AUTHORIZED SELLING DEALER ASSUMES ANY OTHER OBLIGATION OR RESPONSIBILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE VEHICLE IDENTIFIED HEREIN, AND NEITHER ASSUMES NOR AUTHORIZES ANYONE TO ASSUME FOR ANY OF THEM, ANY ADDITIONAL LIABILITY IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.

The above is the warranty which is the subject matter of this action.

The automobile is equipped with a street version “Hemi-head” engine which is a very high performance engine. The regular “Hemi-head” engines are used for racing. The automobile has the standard Chrysler warranty, except that the warranty was limited to twelve months, or 12,000 miles, whichever oe-' curs first, rather than the standard warranty of 5 years or 50,000 miles.

Shortly after the car was purchased, several defects in the automobile appeared. Among these were the following. The heat riser valve rattled and had parts missing, and because parts were not readily obtainable, it’had to be welded open. The right valve cover cap was missing. It was later replaced. There were minor electrical difficulties, a leak near the glove compartment, and the chrome on the right rear fender was buckled. The right front fender had, for reasons not explained, been repainted. The repainted fender did not completely match the remainder of the body: at least it was possible to tell where it had been masked off and sprayed. The engine was “pinging” because the engine inserts were defective; a substantial overhaul job followed.

The parts were not available at Langston Motors, and Morrison had to wait approximately 12 days for his car to be returned. Three days later Morrison experienced further engine noises and called Langston’s service shop. There was no answer so he started to drive his car in, but the engine “blew” after he had gone a short distance. This time it was in the shop for approximately 6 weeks, and the engine, among other things, had to be replaced. At that time the car had been driven a total of 2,477 miles.

During the time it was in the shop for these repairs under the warranty, the car with the hood off and the engine out was left exposed to the elements in an open lot.

During this six week period Morrison offered to drive to defendants’ parts depot in Atlanta to obtain the needed parts, but he was told they were not available there either.

The automobile used approximately 5 quarts of oil the first 500 miles and approximately 15 quarts of oil the first 2,400 miles. Spark plugs had to be replaced at 1,700 miles.

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Bluebook (online)
270 F. Supp. 107, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8681, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrison-v-chrysler-corp-scd-1967.