A sixth class action lawsuit has been filed against Caterpillar Inc. over repeated failures caused by alleged defects with its 2007 C13 and C15 truck engines.
In its lawsuit filed in federal court in Minnesota on April 30, Scenic Boundaries Trans of Sandstone, Minn., alleges that its trucks with the Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology (ACERT) diesel engines suddenly experience engine breakdowns because their engines shut down to regenerate. The trucks then have to be towed to a Caterpillar-authorized repair facility because the computer codes and software are proprietary.
Scenic's suit alleges that the exhaust emission control system, known as the Caterpillar Regeneration System or CRS, “is defective in material and/or workmanship causing the vehicle to not function as required under all operating conditions, on a consistent and reliable basis, even after repeated emissions warranty repairs and replacements. These repeated warranty repairs and replacements failed to repair or correct the CRS defect resulting in damages, including diminished value of the vehicles powered by MY2007 CAT Engines, and the costs to re-power the vehicles with diesel engines that are compliant with the 2007 EPA Emission Standards.”
Attorneys for Caterpillar have asked a panel of federal judges to consolidate the class-action suits -- pending in federal court in Florida, New Jersey, California, Louisiana and Pennsylvania -- filed against the company over alleged defects with its C13 and C15 engines purchased between 2007 and 2010.
Caterpillar stopped making the C13 and C15 ACERT engines, but still repairs them if they are under warranty. However, Caterpillar denies knowledge that the C13 and C15 truck and bus engines were defective.
(more on class actions against Caterpillar over C13 C15 engines . . . )
