Propriétaires de Jeep poursuivent en justice à propos des incendies des Wrangler et Gladiator | Carscoops

      The lawsuit alleges a defect in the vehicles, despite Jeep not having issued a recall.

      Owners are taking legal action against Jeep, asserting that underhood fires are diminishing the value of their vehicles.

      They contend that they would not have bought their Jeeps had they been aware of this issue.

      The NHTSA is currently investigating around 781,000 Jeeps for possible fire hazards.

      Car fires are frightening enough after an accident; now consider the fear of your parked vehicle igniting hours later. This is the situation faced by some owners of 2021-2023 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators, prompting an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into 781,459 vehicles. While regulators are assessing whether a defect is responsible, some owners are taking action by suing Jeep.

      The lawsuit specifically cites four main violations: breach of implied warranty, violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, unjust enrichment, and violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The plaintiffs highlight that the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has connected at least one fatality to these vehicle fires.

      Fires, Lawsuits, and a $60,000 Bill

      They also provide instances of vehicles from the affected group igniting seemingly at random. In one case, a car reportedly caught fire approximately six hours after the owner had parked and turned it off. According to the plaintiffs, the Jeep was completely destroyed in that incident.

      The lawsuit details several other instances of fires occurring under the hood, including one particularly alarming account:

      "In the early afternoon hours of July 5, 2024, our 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, which had only 18,000 miles, spontaneously ignited in our driveway after being parked for just under 24 hours. While tending to the yard, my husband noticed dense black smoke emanating from the engine.

      "The smoke swiftly escalated into flames, which then rapidly spread throughout the engine, the cabin, and ultimately consumed the entire vehicle. The Jeep was completely destroyed, and Jeep denied any responsibility. We incurred over $60,000 in damages to our home, driveway, landscaping, and soil (PFAS) due to the fire, excluding the loss of the Jeep itself."

      That’s a troubling predicament to be in. Understandably, owners feel that their vehicles now have a diminished market value "due to the stigma of the Fire Defect." They claim to have suffered measurable economic losses. While this assertion may be challenging to substantiate, the determination will rest with the attorneys involved in the case.

      Notably, this is not the only class action lawsuit against Jeep regarding this concern. In January, owners in Michigan initiated a similar legal case, which interestingly also encompasses 2024 Wranglers and 2022-2024 Grand Cherokees. However, should the NHTSA reach a conclusion in its investigation, it could influence the results of these lawsuits.