ATLANTA — A lawsuit claims the engines in some of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep’s most popular muscle cars, trucks, and SUVs could have a defect that can lead to crashes.

Some drivers have been worried about what is called the “Hemi tick”. Donna Goins fired up her 2016 RAM 1500 and Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Justin Gray heard it right away.

“It’s just like a knocking sound like a ‘tick, tick, tick, tick.’ It just keeps doing that,” Goins explained. “It’s all the time.”

A lawsuit claims the “Hemi tick” can be dangerous.

The defect is in Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and RAM models, with certain Hemi V-8 engines manufactured from 2014 to 2022.

The lawsuit gives this partial list:

• 2014-2022 Chrysler 300
• 2014-2022 Dodge Challenger
• 2014-2022 Dodge Charger
• 2014-2021 Dodge Durango
• 2014-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 2014-2020 RAM 1500
• 2014-2022 RAM 2500
• 2014-2022 RAM 3500

The plaintiffs want the suit to turn into a class-action lawsuit, which would ultimately include every car owner experiencing the same defect.

However, it’s nowhere near that point yet.

The plaintiffs claim the defect is a safety concern, which includes “loss of power … especially at highway speeds.”

That is what worries Goins the most, she tells our partners at Channel 2 Action News. “I’m always afraid it’s going to cut off and someone’s going to hit me, or I’m going to have a wreck or something,” she said, adding that overall she feels, “Mad. Very mad.”

The plaintiffs say it’s also a money issue. They claim the alleged “tick” substantially “decreases the value” of the vehicle and requires them to “spend significant money” on repairs. Even “thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket.”

Our partners at Channel 2 Action News checked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database and found more than a hundred complaints dating back years, with people describing the “hemi tick”.

On September 22, one worried truck owner wrote:

“Dealership claims that the ‘tick’, which is horrifically loud, is ‘normal’ for these trucks. I am planning on having a 3rd party mechanic give a second opinion before paying to have the engine rebuilt.”

Chrysler sent out a bulletin to dealers describing the problem and the repair, but there is no recall. So, customers are currently on the hook for the cost.

Goins says her dealer told her it would cost $4,500 to fix hers.

The company that manufactures the family of vehicles, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, says it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

If you are dealing with the same issue:

• Take the vehicle to the dealer, if for no other reason than to document the problem.
• If you spend any money because of the “tick”, save your receipts in case there’s a way to get reimbursed later.

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