— Jeep hybrid recalls have led to a class action lawsuit that includes 2020-2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe and 2022-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe SUVs.
The Jeep lawsuit follows two battery recalls involving the plug-in hybrid vehicles, or PHEVs. The Jeep battery recalls were issued after reports of SUVs that caught fire from battery defects.
According to the Jeep class action, the SUVs were built with high voltage batteries susceptible to internal battery separator damage.
Jeep Hybrid Battery Recalls
The first Jeep 4xe battery recall was announced in November 2023 for about 32,000 Jeep Wranglers. Fiat Chrysler knew of at least eight battery fires, with six of those fires occurring when battery chargers were hooked up.
All eight battery fires occurred when the Jeeps were parked and shut off. But FCA said engineers were still trying to determine the root cause of the battery fires.
Jeep Wrangler owners were warned to park outside and away from things that could catch fire, and customers were also warned not to charge their Wranglers until they were repaired.
Chrysler told dealerships to update the Wrangler high voltage battery pack software and replace the battery pack assemblies if necessary.
However, the first Jeep battery recall was a failure as more battery fires were reported in Jeeps that had been repaired, and also in Wranglers not included in the Jeep hybrid battery recall.
In August 2024, battery manufacturer Samsung believed it found the cause of the Jeep hybrid battery fires, and in September 2024 FCA announced another battery fire recall.
This time more than 154,000 Jeep Wrangler hybrid and Jeep Grand Cherokee hybrid SUVs were recalled in the U.S. following at least 13 battery fires. Owners were again warned not to charge their Jeeps and to park outside and away from anything that could catch fire.
The same hybrid battery recall repairs would be performed.
Jeep Hybrid Recall Lawsuit
The class action was filed by New York plaintiff Michael Gandelman who leased a 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe that was recalled due to the battery fire defects. A battery software update was performed on his Jeep in January, but the dealer did not replace the hybrid battery.
According to the Jeep hybrid class action lawsuit:
"FCA includes a Samsung 400-volt, 17-kWh 48-cell lithium-ion battery pack that uses nickel manganese cobalt (“NMC”) graphite chemistry in its 2020-2024 Jeep Wrangler PHEVs and a Samsung 400-volt, 17.3-kWh 48-cell lithium-ion battery pack that uses NMC graphite chemistry in its 2022-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee PHEVs."
Without the high voltage battery, a Jeep Wrangler or Jeep Grand Cherokee can only run on the gasoline engine, defeating the entire purpose of a hybrid Jeep.
"Moreover, not being able to plug in and charge the Class Vehicles defeats the central purpose of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Absent charging, the Class Vehicles must run exclusively on their gasoline engine, which eliminates the benefits of having a PHEV and renders it unfit for its ordinary purpose." — Jeep hybrid battery recall lawsuit
The class action alleges there is no evidence the second Jeep hybrid battery recall will be anymore successful as the first failed Jeep hybrid battery recall.
According to the Jeep class action, FCA knew the Jeep batteries were defective and could catch fire before the vehicles were first leased and sold, but Chrysler concealed the information from consumers and leased and sold the vehicles anyway.
In other words, the lawsuit alleges FCA knew the current battery problems would occur but instead of preventing those problems by fixing the vehicles prior to sale, the automaker allegedly decided to go ahead and sell the defective Jeeps.
The Jeep hybrid battery recall lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan (Southern Division): Michael Gandelman v. FCA US, LLC d/b/a Stellantis North America.
The plaintiff is represented by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP.
