They Overpaid Thinking Their Dodge Hellcats Were Limited, The Judge Said That’s On You

Stories about paying thousands over MSRP aren’t hard to find. We document them weekly, and most come with a familiar lesson: just because you can pay more doesn’t mean you should. Here’s another one, and this time, not even the courts came to the rescue. A group of Hellcat buyers tried to sue Dodge after paying high markups for what they thought was a limited run model, only to watch the case fall flat.

Dodge Durango Hellcat owners alleged that the automaker pulled a bait and switch when they said 2021 would be the only model year, only to build more starting in 2023. A judge just smacked those plaintiffs down and gave Dodge a big win.

More: Dodge Challenger Hellcat Prices Are Crashing And Buyers Are Loving It

When Dodge unveiled the Durango SRT Hellcat back in 2021, the muscle-SUV world went nuts. It performed (and still largely does) like nothing else in its segment.

Limited Edition, Until It Wasn’t

Dodge also made it clear it was a one-year, 3,000-unit-only run, a message that helped push some buyers deep into premium pricing territory, with documented wholesale purchases of around $114,225 for early owners. Keep in mind that the base MSRP was $80,995 before destination.

In 2023, Dodge revived the Durango Hellcat for another model year. What had been sold as a “once and done” halo Hellcat had now just become “the original”. A group of seven plaintiffs sued Stellantis and its Fiat Chrysler unit, claiming they paid their premiums because Dodge’s limited-edition portrayal made the 2021 Hellcat a future collectible.

Also: 2029 Dodge Durango Picks Up Charger Cues And It Works Surprisingly Well

On Thursday, January 29, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Hall ruled that the automaker did not lie or breach any express warranty by resuming production, noting that statements about the 2021 model’s limited run were true when made and did not legally amount to false advertising or consumer fraud. Put another way, there was no evidence that Dodge intended to deceive buyers.

A Costly Lesson

That leaves everyone who paid above sticker, whether they sued or not, with a pricey SUV that has seen value slide, even when kept in pristine condition with low mileage. As our friends at The Autopian point out, it’s a bit odd that owners even went after Dodge on its own.

It’s easy to argue that dealers should be held accountable too, if buyers want to place any blame on Dodge. On top of that, nobody made these folks buy the car in the first place.

Maybe a few of them, if they were keeping these SUVs sealed away, will go out and enjoy their Hellcats a bit more now. That’s what the Dodge brothers probably would’ve wanted anyway.