Consumer groups want warnings on Chrysler vehicles

Five consumer groups, including Consumers Union and the Center for Auto Safety, have asked the Federal Trade Commission to require Chrysler Group to affix new warning labels to used Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles.

The new labels would warn potential buyers about the fact that Chrysler Group LLC is not liable for damages connected with vehicles manufactured and sold before May 30, 2009, when the new company was formed under the control of Fiat SpA. Any future liability claims have to be filed in bankruptcy court against the remaining assets of the old Chrysler LLC, making the potential for any financial recovery minimal at best.

Chrysler opposes the groups’ request. In an e-mailed statement, spokesman Michael Palese wrote: “In Chrysler’s bankruptcy, the ability to form a new company free from the product liability burden of the old company was essential to the new company’s survival. This is not an issue involving an identified potential safety issue with these vehicles, nor do petitioners claim to have uncovered a systemic defect that requires disclosure.”

According to FTC spokesman Mitchell Katz, the agency can dismiss the petition or propose changes to its 1984 Used Car Rule. If it opts for the change, the process could take a year or more