— Jeep fires have sparked a class-action lawsuit involving vehicles involved in a federal investigation and a separate recall over Jeep fires.
The lawsuit includes claims that “2020-2024 Jeep Wrangler, 2021-2023 Jeep Gladiator and 2022-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are susceptible to under-hood fires.”
According to the Jeep class action lawsuit, the power steering pump electrical connector in a Jeep and the high-voltage battery in Jeep 4xe vehicles can cause fires.
Jeep fires can occur while driving or when parked and turned off.
The Jeep class action lawsuit seeks more than $5 million from Pennsylvania plaintiff Stan Paris, who purchased a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe in July 2024.
The plaintiff did not claim his battery caught fire, but he said it was difficult to park his Jeep away from other vehicles and buildings. He said he has been parking his 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe in an outdoor airport parking lot, which costs $26 a day.
The Jeep class action lawsuit involves two classes, one known as the “investigation class” and the other known as the “recall class.”
Investigation categories include: “All persons or entities that purchase or lease one or more such vehicles in the United States and that are included in NHTSA Investigation PE24024.”
The recall category includes: “Any person or entity that purchased or leased one or more of these vehicles in the United States and that is subject to recall 24V720000.”
Jeep Fire Investigation
In September 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into engine compartment fires in 2021-2023 Jeep Wrangler and 2021-2023 Gladiator vehicles.
The investigation, which involves about 720,000 Jeep vehicles, follows reports that Jeep power steering pumps caused at least nine fires and one injury.
Specifically, the power steering pump electrical connector appears to be the cause of the Jeep fire. The fire occurred on the front passenger side of the engine compartment, in the same location as the power steering pump connector.
Jeep Fire Recall
In late September 2024, Fiat Chrysler recalled about 154,000 Jeep hybrid vehicles due to the risk of fires, but these fires were caused by high-voltage batteries.
The Jeep 4xe fire recall involves the 2020-2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe and 2022-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe SUVs, which have been involved in at least 13 fires.
Chrysler said that in “rare cases, a battery pack may contain cells with damaged separators. Damaged separators, combined with other complex interactions within the battery, may result in a vehicle fire.”
FCA also said the risk of fire is reduced when the hybrid battery is depleted. In addition, the Jeep plug-in hybrid vehicles that caught fire were parked and turned off.
It is estimated that about 5% of recalled Jeeps may be affected by the battery issue, but owners of all recalled vehicles are warned to park away from any possible fire hazard.
Owners of recalled Jeep 4xe vehicles are also warned not to charge their vehicles during the recall period until dealers have repaired their vehicles.
The Jeep fire class action lawsuit alleges that Chrysler knew or should have known about the fire risk before the recall and before the investigation began.
The Jeep Fire Class Action Lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division): Stan Paris v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) US, LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Mantese Honigman, PC, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, and Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield LLP.
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