Wagoneer S Lemon Law

FCA US recalled certain 2024–2025 Wagoneer S and Dodge Charger Daytona EVs (NHTSA campaign 26V262) because a software fault in the instrument panel cluster can cause the display to fail to show critical information — including the gear selection indicator and BRAKE, ESC, and TPMS warning lights. Driving without those readouts increases crash risk, and the fix is a dealer software update. A separate concern on these EVs involves an incorrectly installed park-pawl spring that can cause a loss of the park function and a vehicle rollaway.

As an early-production EV, the Wagoneer S also draws the software and charging complaints common to first-year electric vehicles: infotainment freezes and reboots, over-the-air update failures, charging sessions that stall or won't initiate on AC or DC fast chargers, phantom battery or drive-power warnings, and 12-volt or high-voltage electrical faults that can leave the vehicle in a no-start state. Many of these send owners back to the dealer repeatedly while software patches are developed.

California's Lemon Law covers far more than the recall itself. If a substantial defect — a blank instrument display, recurring software glitches, a charging failure, a loss of drive power, or a park-function fault — keeps coming back after a reasonable number of repair attempts, or your Wagoneer S sits out of service for an extended period, you may be entitled to a buyback, a replacement, or a cash settlement, with the manufacturer paying your attorney fees. A recall on file is not required to qualify.

A recall is not automatically a lemon — it's the manufacturer acknowledging a defect and offering a free repair. California's Lemon Law (the Song-Beverly Act) comes into play when a substantial defect can't be fixed after a reasonable number of attempts, or when your Wagoneer S has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days.

If your Wagoneer S qualifies, you may be entitled to a buyback (a refund of what you've paid, minus a mileage offset), a replacement vehicle, or a cash-and-keep settlement — and Wagoneer pays your attorney fees on a successful claim, so pursuing your case costs you nothing out of pocket.