Dodge has built its name on overpowered, knuckle-dragging monster trucks and muscle cars (see Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat). Even as far back and the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Dodge name was synonymous with power and bravado. Well, that has surely not ceased to be the case with the new crop of American muscle. But how much power can you have until things start melting? Well, 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon owners are going to bat with a class-action lawsuit over the hood scoops warping and ultimately damaging the hoods of their cars.

So what exactly seems to be the problem? 

The lawsuit alleges that the hood scoop’s warping causes further damage making these cars lose their value. According to Car Complaints, the lawsuit was filed by a California man who paid $166,000 for his 840-hp 2018 Dodge Demon. The owner says that to wring out that power, he also had to add $250 in extra parts and run racing fuel. Otherwise, the Demon would only make a meager 808 hp. I mean… OK.

The plaintiff claims that after only 20 miles of driving his Demon after receiving and installing the parts, the hood scoop warped. He then called the dealership to see what could be done about it. The lawsuit says that after a year, the owner came across a service bulletin describing exactly what had happened to his helpless little Demon. The bulletin noted, “hood bezel is warping and, in some cases, chipping the paint on the sides and corners of the hood bezel opening.”

Will the dealership fix the issue?

Chrysler dealers were told to replace the hood bezel and repaint the hood if necessary. Problem solved, right? Wrong. 

The owner’s hood scoop was replaced, and the hood was repainted. However, the owner alleges that the dealer painted the hood the wrong color and installed a different hood scoop. He also says that it’s clear that the dealer drilled multiple new holes in the hood. The complaints continue with the lawsuit mentioning that after the replacement scoop insert was installed, it began to “bow down” within a week. The owner says he has to push the insert into place whenever he drives. 

The allegation following the initial complaint is that the repairs didn’t fix the problem and make new problems for Demon wranglers. 

FCA Motions to dismiss the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Lawsuit

FCA is arguing that the case is absurd. They argue the whole complaint is over a cosmetic issue, first of all. Secondly, FCA says that the plaintiff admits that Chrysler offered to fix the problem for free, but because it allegedly didn’t work the first time, he didn’t want to. 

Chrysler goes on to debunk the plaintiff’s accusal of misrepresenting the Demon’s horsepower when he admits that with the right parts and fuel, the Challenger could, in fact, achieve 840 hp.

Furthermore, the motion to dismiss points out that Chrysler never refused to fix the problem for the owner, nor does the owner claim that they did. Lastly, Chrysler’s attorneys told a judge, “Remarkably, after filing this case and professing to represent a class, Plaintiff offered a dismissal in exchange for a payment of $95,000.”

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon lawsuit ain’t looking so good 

Even after FCA presented its motion for dismissal, the plaintiff is still moving ahead with the class-action lawsuit in the state of California.