Remember the Chrysler 200? If you either said no or chose not to remember Chrysler’s entry-level sedan from the early to mid 2010s we don’t blame you. The sedan was supposed to be an entry-level gateway into the brand but slow sales prompted Chrysler to axe the model a few years later.

But while Chrysler and Stellantis also wanted to forget about the troubled sedan, the two were forced to revisit old memories thanks to the legal system with a recent court settlement forcing the company to extend the 200’s emissions warranty.

It all began at the service desk

To understand what happened and how we got to this point, we have to go back in time to when Stellantis was formerly FCA and the story of Ebony Thompson. Ebony took her 2015 200 to the dealer to fix an issue that would cause the car to crank but not start, would shut off while driving, and that it also had a rough idle.

Service reps said the 200 needed a new MultiAir Actuator with the repair and subsequent replacement costing $2100. Thompson was forced to pay out of pocket due to the company saying the part wasn’t covered under the emissions loyalty. The car had 97,200 miles on it so usually such a warranty wouldn’t be active anymore.

An overlooked detail

The problem though was a detail that Stellantis/FCA seemingly forgot about, it sold the 200 family as PZEVs. PZEVs are a product of the California emission laws and the PZEV class was the fruit of a deal between the California Air Resources Board and automakers to address zero emissions vehicles. All PZEVs had to have no particulate emissions from the fuel tank and more importantly, had to have a 10-year 150,000 mile warranty on certain emissions related equipment.

That latter item got the company thrown into court with the ensuing case (Thompson vs FCA US) alleging that since the MultiAir is a complex variable valve timing system that allows the engine to run without throttle input and is also meant to save fuel, it should have been covered under the law due to emissions from the vehicle increasing beyond the PZEV limits if the component failed.

Only certain states are covered

As part of the settlement, Stellantis will be offering an extended 15 year/150,000 mile warranty for any fuel injector component and will also foot the bill for a replacement MultiAir actuator. Any owners who paid for a repair prior to the settlement can apply for a claim of reimbursement.

There are two prominent catches. The first is that only 2015-2017 Chrysler 200s with the 2.4-liter TigerShark four-cylinder are covered which is less than some of the other models that were also originally lumped into the class-action suit including the Fiat 500X, Dodge Dart, and Jeep Renegade.

The second is this settlement only applies to residents who live in California, Connecticut, Oregon, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington State where the PZEV laws were followed by each state. Any claims need to be made by the end of March before they are considered void.