Jeep electrical and hood fires have caused a class action lawsuit after an investigation and a recall brought serious safety defects to light.
The Jeep hood fire lawsuit includes 2020–2024 Jeep Wrangler, 2021–2023 Jeep Gladiator, and 2022–2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles previously included in a NHTSA investigation for hood fires and/or a safety recall for Jeep PHEV battery fires.
A remedy for the Jeep fire risk has not been released, but many of these Jeep owners have instructed to park their vehicles away from other vehicles and structures.
If your 2020 or newer Jeep Wrangler, Gladiator or Grand Cherokee has been affected by this investigation, recall or lawsuit, or it has had electrical issues that cannot seem to be fixed, you may be eligible for legal compensation or restitution under specific California consumer laws. Read our blog post to learn about recent model year Jeeps’ defect histories, and how defect investigations, recalls and class action lawsuits affect your legal rights.
Table of Contents
- Jeep Electrical Fire Class Action Lawsuit
- Jeep Underhood Fire Investigation
- Jeep PHEV Battery Fire Recalls
- Your Options Under Jeep Lemon Law
- Talk To A Jeep Lemon Law Attorney
Jeep Electrical Fire Class Action Lawsuit
The 2020-2024 Jeep Wrangler, 2021–2023 Jeep Gladiator and 2022–2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee can experience fires while driving or while parked and turned off. Depending on the specific vehicle model, the fires may be caused by the power steering pump electrical connectors OR by the high voltage batteries in plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The plaintiff, Stan Paris, purchased a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe in July 2024. He alleges that it is difficult to park his Jeep away from other vehicles and structures, which he had been advised to do until a remedy is released. He says he has been parking his 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe at an outdoor airport parking lot for $26 per day.1
The lawsuit itself is split into two classes. The first is the investigation class, which includes all vehicles covered by NHTSA Investigation PE24024. The other class is the recall class, which covers all vehicles covered by Recall 24V720000, or Chrysler Recall Number 95B.
The Jeep fire lawsuit alleges that Fiat Chrysler knew or should have known about the fire risks before the recall and investigation ever occurred.
Jeep Underhood Fire Investigation
An estimated 781,459 model year 2021–2023 Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles are still under investigation for engine compartment fires. The underhood fires occur while the Jeep vehicles are in an ignition OFF state.
These Jeep fires are suspected to come from the power steering electrical connector in the passenger front side of the engine compartment.
So far, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has received nine vehicle owner’s questionnaires and one death and injury report.2
The results of the Jeep underhood fire investigation will determine if a recall is issued for this Jeep underhood fire defect.
Jeep PHEV Battery Fire Recalls
More than 150,000 model year 2020–2024 Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee PHEVs were recalled after high voltage battery fires were linked to two alleged injuries. The Jeep 4xe recall population includes 2021–2023 Jeep Wrangler PHEVs that were repaired under a previous recall for the same issue.3
The high voltage battery may fail internally and cause a vehicle fire. Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee PHEV owners have been warned to park outside and away from structures, and to not recharge the vehicles until they have been repaired.
Battery fires occur because the cells in the battery packs experience separator damage in combination with other complex interactions inside the cells. The risk of vehicle fires is reduced when the battery charge level is depleted.
Jeep dealers were instructed to update the high voltage battery pack software and, if necessary, replace the battery pack assembly.
The previous recall repair also included a software flash on the high voltage battery pack and, if a diagnostic trouble code set, a replacement of the battery pack. However, the remedy under the previous recall did not detect certain abnormalities inside the HV battery that could cause a fire. Fiat Chrysler received three reports of fires in Jeep Wrangler PHEVs that received the original updated software repair.4
Your Options Under Jeep Lemon Law
If your Jeep vehicle has had multiple repairs under warranty for a safety issue that cannot seem to be fixed, it may be legally considered defective under the California Lemon Law. Owners of defective vehicles, or “lemons”, can recover cash compensation, a replacement vehicle, or a repurchase for their vehicle, in addition to having certain expenses related to your vehicle issues reimbursed. This refund and compensated expenses is known as a “lemon law buyback.” If the manufacturer was found to have willfully violated the law, you may be able to recover civil penalties up to twice what you paid for your vehicle. If you win a claim under the lemon law, the manufacturer has to pay your attorneys’ fees and costs as part of the final settlement.
However, if your Jeep vehicle is included in a class action lawsuit, you have to opt out in order to retain your individual right to sue the manufacturer. Though class action lawsuits help bring widespread issues to light, individual members of class action lawsuits can walk away with only piecemeal portions of the final settlement. If you opt out of a class action lawsuit and pursue an individual lemon law claim, you may be able to recover a near full refund for your Jeep vehicle or, in some cases, up to approximately three times your vehicle’s purchase price.
Talk To A Jeep Lemon Law Attorney
If your Jeep cannot seem to be fixed within the warranty period, we recommend getting a consultation with a Jeep lemon law attorney to learn if your vehicle qualifies as a lemon. Our lemon lawyers are experienced in handling complex Jeep lemon law cases. Consultations with our lawyers are free of charge. Tell us the issues that you have had with your vehicle, and we inform you of your legal options. Call us at 833-208-8181 or fill out the submission form below.
References
- Wood, D. A. (2025, January 13). Jeep Fires Cause Class Action Lawsuit. CarComplaints.com. https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2025/jeep-fires-cause-class-action-lawsuit.shtml
- (2024, September 6). Underhood fires [Review of Underhood fires]. Track Recalls & Safety Issues by NHTSA ID; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://www.nhtsa.gov/?nhtsaId=PE24024
- (2024, September 27). High Voltage Battery May Fail and Cause Fire [Review of High Voltage Battery May Fail and Cause Fire]. Track Recalls & Safety Issues by NHTSA ID; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://www.nhtsa.gov/?nhtsaId=24V720000
- Part 573 Safety Recall Report 24V-720. (2024). https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCLRPT-24V720-8602.PDF
Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Orange County. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2020–Present vehicle models only.
However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.
To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.
