Stellantis is once again facing a lawsuit over defective batteries used in its plug-in hybrid electric Jeeps — the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and the Grand Cherokee 4xe.
The lawsuit — one of many similar civil suits — alleges Stellantis knew of the defect and dragged its feet in remedying the issue. The vehicles were recalled at least three times for a slew of issues, including risks of explosions, fires, sandy engines and sudden losses of power. At the end of 2025, Stellantis discontinued its PHEV line of vehicles.
The lawsuit, filed April 24 in U.S. District Court in Detroit, names 16 plaintiffs (on behalf of others in a similar situation) and alleges that Stellantis understated the nature of the defects and was too slow in issuing proper recalls and remedies. The plaintiffs are seeking financial damages and attorneys’ fees.
The suit alleges Stellantis was “unable or unwilling to remedy the fire risk defect,” and instead chose to abruptly discontinue the models.
The 96-cell lithium-ion batteries made by Samsung were defective, the suit claims, and needed more attention than they received as the automaker recalled, remedied and recalled the vehicles again. The automaker had recalled the products in 2024, though the remedy it issued at the time was later reported to be ineffective.
Previous recalls for the vehicles issued by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said the battery packs were the root of the issue. Some of those batteries, NHTSA said in a November recall of more than 320,000 vehicles, may have cells with separator damage. The separator is a thin, membranous material through which ions are transmitted in the battery. With a damaged separator comes a higher risk of combustion.
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That November recall was the second recall for such an issue. The remedy issued in the first instance, according to a statement from Stellantis spokesperson Frank Matyok given at the time, was “based on the best available data at the time, using diagnostic algorithms to identify batteries showing early signs of potential failure.”
Matyok said in November that the automaker’s understanding of the issue had “evolved” after further research.
Stellantis spokespeople declined to comment on the new lawsuit.
In 2025, the PHEV Wrangler and Grand Cherokee were some of the best-selling hybrid vehicles in the United States. After its reputation was sullied by continuous recalls and shifts in regulations under the Trump administration, which made EVs less important for automakers, the entire plug-in program was axed, with Stellantis opting to produce more internal combustion engines and launch regular, non-plug-in hybrid powertrains instead.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stellantis faces lawsuit over Jeep 4xe batteries