There is currently a lot of talk about a recent class-action lawsuit in the United States, where thousands of Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator owners have reported a serious fire risk in their vehicles. The alarm was raised after an NHTSA investigation.
Wrangler and Gladiator at fire risk
A lawsuit in the United States claims that the 2021-2023 Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler models could be affected by flash fires. The lawsuit, filed in Michigan, involves four owners of Wrangler and Gladiator models who, while they have not yet experienced such incidents, are concerned that their vehicles could catch fire at any time. These concerns stem from a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation involving 781,000 Jeeps produced between 2021 and 2023.
The NHTSA investigation is detective reports of fires under the hood of some Wrangler and Gladiator models. Many of the reports received by investigators seem to confirm that the Jeeps caught fire when the engine was not running and the vehicle was completely turned off. It is therefore thought that these fires may have been caused by an electrical connector in the power steering pump.
The lawsuit mentions nine fires in the engine compartment and at least one injury related to the Wrangler and Gladiator models involved. The plaintiffs claim that these vehicles are neither suitable nor safe for intended and reasonably foreseeable use. In addition, they accuse FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) of having been aware of the fire hazards long before NHTSA initiated the investigation. Each person affected by the problem claims that they would not have purchased the vehicle if they had been informed of the fire hazards and that Jeep advertising materials had convinced them of the vehicles’ safety, despite the fact that they were not. The lawsuit seeks compensation for everyone who purchased or leased a Wrangler or Gladiator 2021-2023.
The content of the class action
The class action alleged that as a result of Stellantis’ breaches of implied warranties of merchantability and its failure to provide a remedy for the risk of spontaneous fire once fires began to occur among the putative class action members, the owners and lessees of the fire-risk vehicles were injured, suffered damages and ascertainable losses in money and property. The complaint goes on to say that if the plaintiffs and alleged class action members had been aware of the spontaneous fire risk, they would not have purchased or leased those vehicles or would have paid substantially less for them. Stellantis has already suggested that owners of other vehicles with similar fire risks park them away from buildings and flammable materials. Steve Berman, managing partner of the Hagens Berman law firm that filed the lawsuit, highlighted the seriousness of the situation, warning that “the Jeeps involved may be at imminent risk.”
“If a friend lent me his car but told you that because of the risk of spontaneous fires, even when it is parked and turned off, you should make sure to keep the car away from your home, your property, other buildings or anything else flammable, you would be terrified to go near it.” The complaint was filed Nov. 7 and seeks a jury trial.