BELLEVILLE — A Belleville Buick GMC dealer is accused of failing to tighten a drain plug during an oil change, causing damage to a vehicle's engine.
Cassandra Mackin and Alonzo Mackin filed a complaint Feb. 26 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Cardinal Buick GMC Inc., and FCA US LLC, doing business as Chrysler Dodge, alleging violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act.
According to their complaint, Alonzo Mackin and his mother Cassandra Mackin purchased a 2016 Dodge Challenger from Cardinal Buick in December 2019. They allege the vehicle's odometer reading was around 52,000 miles and was still covered by the "original manufacturer's warranty." The plaintiffs claim that they were invoiced $119.57 by Cardinal Buick for an oil change that was supposed to be free per their sales agreement. They claim they were also issued a repair estimate of $237.85 for the vehicle.
The plaintiffs allege the car then began to run "rough" and was smoking in September 2020. A vehicle inspection showed the car had "almost no oil" and had a loose oil pan drain plug which caused all of the oil to leak out of the engine.
The plaintiffs seek a judgment in their favor in excess of $8,000 for compensatory damages, $30,000 for attorney's fees, $100,000 for punitive damages, and court costs. They are represented by David M. Duree of David M. Duree & Associates PC in O'Fallon.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 21-L-0191