Jeep Owners Sue Stellantis Over Wranglers And Gladiators That Might Spontaneously Catch Fire

While some electric vehicles seem to have a propensity to spontaneously combust when not in use, a lawsuit filed in the US alleges that 2021-2023 Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler models can also catch fire unexpectedly.

The lawsuit filed in Michigan names four plaintiffs that own Wrangler and Gladiator models, and while none of their vehicles have caught fire, they fear that they could at any moment. These fears have been brought on by a recent investigation announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration involving 781,000 Jeeps built between the 2021 and 2023 model years.

Read: 781,000 Jeeps Caught Up In NHTSA Investigation Over Underhood Fires

The NHTSA’s probe is investigating reports of underhood fires on select Wrangler and Gladiator models. Many of the reports received by investigators claim Jeeps have caught fire when the vehicle’s engine and ignition were switched off. These fires are believed to originate at an electrical connector at the power steering pump.

According to the lawsuit, there have been nine reported engine compartment fires and at least one injury linked to affected Wranglers and Gladiators. The filing claims that these vehicles “are not suitable and safe for use in an intended and reasonably foreseeable manner” and argues that FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) should have been aware of the fire risks long before the NHTSA launched its probe.

Each of the four plaintiffs in the class action says they would not have purchased their vehicles had they known about the fire risks. They also contend that Jeep’s marketing material misled them into believing vehicles were safe, even though they aren’t. The lawsuit is seeking damages for all individuals who purchased or leased a 2021-2023 Wrangler or Gladiator.

“Because of FCA’s breaches of implied warranties of merchantability and its failure to provide a remedy for the Spontaneous Fire Risk once the fires began occurring amongst putative class members, owners and lessees of Fire Risk Vehicles are injured in fact, incurred damages, and suffered ascertainable losses in money and property,” the class action states. “Had Plaintiffs and the putative class members known of the Spontaneous Fire Risk, then they would either not have purchased or leased those vehicles or would have paid substantially less for them.”

Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, has previously advised owners of other recalled vehicles with similar fire risks to park away from structures and flammable materials. Steve Berman, the managing partner of Hagens Berman, the firm behind the lawsuit, emphasized the urgency of the issue, warning, “Affected Jeeps are potentially running out the clock.”

“If a friend loaned you their car but instructed you that, due to the risk of spontaneous fires — even when parked and off — you should make sure to keep the car away from your home, property, other buildings or anything else flammable for that matter, you’d be terrified to step foot near it.”

The complaint was filed on November 7 and asks for a jury trial.