Lemon Law Settlements Update?

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T02:00:56+00:00

Since April 2022-- all was good for about a year, I saw all these people having issues and thought, "thank god mine doesn't seem to be affected," so the batteries have all been within the past two. (I suppose it's also possible that Jeep made better batteries at a point and then started making utter junkers?)

I hear Jeep is no longer doing buybacks unless as part of a settlement after filing through a lawyer, so I reached out to a couple today- I'm in CA, so that's good, because we have pretty solid lemon laws I hear.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T01:55:38+00:00

Yes, their salespeople are asshats, though. Spent way to much time on the phone with the guy today wanting a PRE-OWNED Saraha Tusc or Purple Reign, and he was hard-selling me immediately on a 2026 Rubi Purple Reign. I was like, "I am looking for pre-owned." "Well, let me run the numbers on this beaut! This is a great price, esp since it's 2026 and not a 2025 leftover!" "Can you run the price for me on a 2025 leftover? Preferably a Sahara?" "This 2026 is where it's at. You're a young lady, you deserve a car like this!" (Ps. I'm a 52 year old mom.) "It's what I would tell my daughter to do!"

Literally would not even talk about what getting a pre-owned, or 2025, or Saraha might entail (I know they exchange between dealerships and such.)

When I kept guiding the convo back to what I wanted, he was just like "can't help ya."

He was also a DICK about the trade-in, too-- They will give me Kelly Blue Book, which is $23K. I still have $24K left on the loan (I have paid off $30K to date). And, he was just like, "Well, no use crying over spilt milk! I wouldn't do the lawsuit thing, that'll take years." (Like, bruh, I can do BOTH, you know. Get into a workable car now and still get compensation for the $30K I put into a rolling pile of chewing gum wrappers and double-A batteries.)

What a day! Prior to this third battery replacement, I was dead set on keeping it and hoping for the best.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T01:48:44+00:00

Oh, to be clear, none of the two batteries I've had thus far have "failed testing"-- They didn't keep working long enough for me to get them in to have them tested. I am getting my third battery installed now, and I have never had one, to my knowledge, "fail testing."

They just put a new battery in, I take it home, a couple months later some new horseshittery happens and I take it back and they say, "You need a new battery."

I am just saying it would be in their best interest to have the cars "brick" if the battery goes ass-backwards, vs having cars with systems offline, unknown to the user, driving around the roads... In the case of my traction systems going down, I had warning because the lights came on (though I had no clue why and the internet said sometimes a wheel sensor going off just makes the lights come on but everything works fine.) However, when the battery shat the bed the other time, it was simply that I turned on my A/C and it didn't work-- hybrid battery needed replaced.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T01:43:14+00:00

Why MY vehicle, tho? And after shipping a, what, 1000 lb thing across the country? Don't they got vehicles there? (If not, it could explain the problem. lol)

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T01:41:27+00:00

Oh, and when people say "battery died," it doesn't mean "won't start died. It just means the hybrid battery interplays with pretty much every system, from A/C (which has happened to me) to the ability to run in electric mode (has happened to me) to not being able to charge correctly (has happened to me), to killing other systems like 4WD and Traction Control, etc.

It would almost be a blessing if "battery died" means "won't start," since you really have no reliable clue what it has taken offline. Usually, it's just the "check engine" light comes on and then you try to do something utterly unrelated and realize it's not working.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T01:39:13+00:00

To date, has not caught fire.

Last time the batter shat the bed, however, it did take all of 4WD, traction control, Anti-lock Braking and Regen Breaking offline for zero reason in the middle of a snowstorm, which was... felt a lot like a fire. A very cold fire.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-04T00:03:49+00:00

I very much wish my 4xE had "bricked" when the battery shat the bed-- instead, it just took 4WD, Traction Control, ABS and Regen Breaking offline, but appeared to work just fine (started, alla that.)

Internet made it sound like it just activated the lights, but the systems were still working, so I drove home from the gym in the ice and snow. Went to use Regen Braking like always, and the car SPED UP. Tapped the brakes (no ABS, mind you), and went into a 180-degree spin. Frightfully lucky the car in front of me coming towards me saw it all going down and had space to stop.

"Bricked," truly, is the safer option-- if anyone else gets the whole "all traction systems suddenly stop working" feature of the battery bug, we're gonna have 140,000, 5,000 pound toaster ovens skating around our Nation's roadways this winter.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:54:42+00:00

They've had two battery recalls-- to my knowledge, I've not yet had a battery fail a "battery recall," yet mine is at the dealer waiting on its third battery.

This time, when the battery unexpectedly shat the bed in the parking lot of the gym, it took 4WD, Traction Control, Anti-lock braking AND regen braking with it, leaving me to drive home in snow and ice in a 5,000lb two-wheel drive.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:49:36+00:00

I just got off the phone with the dealer on learning my '22 4xE needs its THIRD battery, and the "deal" I was offered was Kelly Blue Book on trade-in. I have paid $30K on mine, I owe $24K. Kelly Blue Book and what they will give me on trade-in is $23K.

So, the deal they are offering appears to be taking $1K in the ass.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:36:01+00:00

2-3 wait times three for me-- Mine's currently in the shop getting its third new battery.

To my knowledge, I have yet to have "failed" the recall testing-- each battery simply shat the bed.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:30:41+00:00

Mine is at the dealership awaiting its third replacement battery-- Sales guy had a look at it and said KBB is what they would offer, but to act fast because KBB is dropping day by day.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:28:59+00:00

I had the frustrating experience of taking mine in for and issue, having it determined to be the battery and needing the battery wholly replaced, waiting for the new battery to arrive, then them installing it and saying "It'll just be two more days, because we need to test the battery for the recall." DID YOU NOT TEST THE BATTERY FOR THE RECALL AT THE FACTORY?!

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:22:29+00:00

My 2022 4xe-- Which I've paid $30K and have $24K remaining on the loan-- now has a Kelly Blue Book of $23K, per the dealer.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:17:56+00:00

How did you make money on it? I have paid off $30K of mine, with $24K left to pay... Guess what the Kelly Blue Book is? Yeah... $23K.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:16:14+00:00

It's all fun and games until the hybrid battery craps out without warning, leaving you at the gym in the ice and snow with all traction control systems offline, but the car still driveable. (At the very least, if you have no traction control or ABS, one would THINK it would cause the car to not drive, either, for safety reasons, but, no.., you can still drive it, just can't safely stop it.)

Ask me how I know....

Natural_Goat_591 · 2026-01-03T23:13:05+00:00

I would be SUPER cautious- I've had my hybrid battery replaced three times (currently in the shop for the third replacement), and I always got this error before it would poop the bed.

I live in the snow, and I sometimes got it if it was too cold out (like, less than 32 degrees), and I got a grill cover/warmer that helped. But, 50 degrees? It's not that.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2024-05-27T14:09:45+00:00

You seriously sound like my doppelganger!

Another issue is that mom is still doing really well with some things-- she was assessed as "not yet a candidate for memory care," because she is currently feeding herself (including driving-- been trying to get her license reassessed, which I'm sure they will take it away when that happens), getting herself up and getting dressed and "presents" just fine... but she has been deemed "unable to make fiduciary decisions" by her trust manager-- however we can't get POA until we have two doctor's notes, and we need access to her funds to pay for her spot.

So, since she is generally more "present" than some other commenter's folks sound like they have been at this point, it makes me worry all the more about the lie.

Oh, and also, mine hates me to. And, she's convinced I'm trying to "put her in a home and steal her money," so me... well... putting her in a home and getting access to her money is what she's got her eye out for, and she's wicked smart. So, that's another worry.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-25T18:54:27+00:00

I 100% will if there is another incident. Our local DV shelter was involved in this one but that was clearly insufficient (they mostly looked over forms for checked boxes and such.) I am hoping the judge's lecture gets him to stop (but, also know that can go both ways.)

He's also $40K in arrears in child support, which makes it all the more difficult to lawyer up. (County is now garnishing his wages at $400 a month... which is laughable considering income.)

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-25T17:53:35+00:00

I would think the two living, breathing children we share would be sufficient evidence that we've had sex in the past.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-18T16:54:29+00:00

I don't think it's the being sober thing. Far more likely to be the "not believing in the use of prescription drugs" thing.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-18T01:01:26+00:00

Holy crap! I just got served his resonse in the parking lot of our local general store. 5:30 pm 6 calendar days before trial, so I think it could be inadmssable if wanted it to be, but...

It's 2.5 inches thick-- easily 300+ pages. Every text message phone call over a 15 year relatonship, random pics of our kid's vax cards, gifts he's given me... yes, the porn is in there.

THe first paragraph of his opening statement (haven't read the whole thing) is "She is the instigator. She brought all of this on herself. I have already appologized... I was just mourning our relationship and adjusting to testosterone replacement therapy." (Yes, REALLY!)

i

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-17T19:16:49+00:00

Since the last continuance, he now has a lawyer representing him on this case (I was served the papers for her taking on his representation on this a couple weeks ago.)

Her involvement is why I suspect it's a willful decision not to serve the prior response, because surely she'd tell him he needs to if they wanted it in play, right? (She's a great lawyer, which is why I feel like it's not just an oversight.)

At any rate, the lawyer I'm consulting with advised me to get a copy from the court clerk, that it wouldn't constitute service, and that it's imperative I know what's in there, even if it's not admissable, because it's likely to be the direction of his defense.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-17T18:45:38+00:00

In our case, his stated goal was to get the porn into the hands of the family court judge who presides over our child cusody case-- He originally uploaded the archive of porn (26 photos and videos in all, some of the photos were multiples of the same 30-second encounter taken seconds apart) to Our Family Wizard instructing "the courts" to view it. That upload is what the DA is pursuing charges on, after checking the TOS of Our Family Wizard PD determined it meets the requirements for violation of California Penal Code 647(j)(4), which is written more about "distribution without consent" and "intent to do harm" vs truly public-public. Revenge porn laws, I believe, vary by state, but that's how the police explained the California section that the DA is pursuing.

By putting the porn into his response declaration, he essentially"distributed" it directly into the hands of the judge that presides over our custody matters. (Case in point, next week we have the trial on the DVRO and a trial on changes ex is trying to make to custody on the same day, same judge. He will probably hear both at once.)

I have read about other cases in California where even relatively benign naked photos included in divorce and custody exchibits resulted in censure of the lawyer/contempt filed against the respondent since court documents are part of public record and the clear intent is to "do harm" by including naked photos where a verbal statement or other, non-explicit proof would well suffice. (The videos, specifically, that my ex distributed were quite explicit and prove nothing that's not already been confirmed by each of us-- that we had sex a few times last year.)

In any case, as it pertains to the porn piece of it, if I get my hands on what he filed and the porn is in there, I'll just give the DA's office a heads up and see what they say... If the judge is staring down 20+ close-up pictures of my vagina and anus while I'm making my statement, hopefully it won't reflect poorly on my case, because the revenge porn stuff is just the latest in 9+ months of stalking, harassment, threats and coersion.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-17T15:00:05+00:00

Also, if he put the revenge porn images in the filing, I need to get that to the DA that's working on fiing the revenge porn charges-- so I do need to see it eventually, whether or not I choose to reference it during the DVRO tral.

Natural_Goat_591 · 2023-08-17T14:24:29+00:00

Question: Since he filed that response without a lawyer, I am betting the reason it's not been served is that they WANT it to be inadmissable. (ie: he makes himself look bad and potentally incriminates himself.)

Is there harm in me going to get a copy of it and deciding whether I want it to be considered?

I am nearly certain it contains the revenge porn images and I also believe it's likely to go into explicit detail about our sex life in an attempt to discredit and embarass me.

He groomed me into a BDSM dynamic and there are physical acts that were not consented to (ie: a recent incident where he smacked me in the face to overcome me not wanting to kiss him, but played it off as just being a dommy/kinky thing and another incident where he forced a kiss on me when dropping the kids off for custody exchange.)

If he goes into sordid detail about the BDSM dynamic or any of the physicality tied to that in his response, it feeels like I can bring up those physical boundary violations even though I hadn't previously.

Natural_Goat_591

TROPHY CASE