Business Plaintiffs received Big Fraud Verdict Against Lexington Law.

A couple of businesses that said they were spammed by dispute letters purporting to be from consumers but really from Lexington Law received a jury verdict on a claim of fraud according to this article at InsideArm.com.

This is a good time to remind people that a credit repair agency can't do anything you can't do for yourself.  Credit bureaus and creditors have to fully process legitimate dispute letters, but they don't have to give the same weight to mass generated letters not backed by a good faith dispute.  If you want your dispute considered, you should write the letter yourself and explain why you dispute the item. 

I don't like these companies because the spam disputes cause companies to disregard good faith dispute letters, and that makes it harder for consumers with real disputes to get them addressed.

200,000 2017-2019 Chrysler Pacificas Recalled for Stalling Issues

200,000 Chrysler Pacifica owners should be receiving recall notices about now for a recall of 200,000 Pacificas equipped with automatic stop/start systems.  The recall is allegedly to fix a wiring issue that can cause stalling. Owners of Pacifica will be excused if they don't believe this will fix the stalling issues they have been experiencing.

Perhaps Chrysler is confident they got it right now, because recently they announced that for 2020 they will be selling a decontented version of the Pacifica which will be badged as the Chrysler Voyager.  (Until the Plymouth brand was discontinued, the Plymouth version of the Mopar van was called the "Plymouth Voyager".)  Two and a half years after the Chrysler Pacifica was introduced the Pacifica continues to be outsold by the decade-old Dodge Grand Caravan.

Car and Driver's Long term 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Many Warranty Repairs

I find the most interesting car magazine long-term tests are the ones where the vehicles experience major problems.  I was majorly bummed out to read Car and Driver's 40,000 mile summary of their experience with the Pacifica Hybrid minivan. I was seriously considering getting one of these as my next vehicle. Honestly, based on this report and some other sources, I think I'm going to skip this generation and see what happens the next time around.

Quoting the article about problems with this Pacifica:

While our Pacifica hybrid completed the final 10,000 miles without any major expenses, it wasn't completely drama-free. We had to replace both front anti-roll-bar end links under warranty to fix a persistent rattle from the front end. The dealership also had to replace the whole center console, due to a seized cupholder bin on the lower back side that was permanently stuck open. Luckily, this was covered under warranty, or it would've cost us $1590. These recent issues were preceded by regular logbook entries over the first 30,000 miles about disconcerting engine noises (something the dealership said was normal) and an unsettling incident where the hybrid's 16.0-kWh battery pack had to be replaced. Similarly, we experienced two instances where the battery coolant was low, but the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause either time. All of these problems were covered under warranty, which is great, but it certainly made editors think twice about taking what is otherwise a great road-trip car on road trips, not to mention gave us doubts about the minivan's long-term reliability.