Jeep Maker Stellantis Facing 'Disaster' Amid Dealership Revolt, Looming Labor Strike

America's top choice for adventure vehicles, the Jeep Wrangler, is on thin ice at the moment

Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK

America's number one adventure vehicle, the Jeep Wrangler, is currently wading through crisis as owner Stellantis is dealing with a "disaster", per multiple reports.

It's been tough sledding for the Netherlands-based owner of Jeep, Ram, and Fiat, who took control of the iconic Jeep brand in 2021 following a merger between Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, the maker of Peugeot and Citroën, among others.

Just two weeks ago, Stellantis was forced to recall 1.2 million Ram vehicles due to faulty brake software, the second such recall for Ram pickups this calendar year. A June recall saw almost 158,000 Rams brought in for faulty electronic stability control modules.

This recall was also concurrent with a Jeep recall, with certain 2020-2024 Wranglers and Gladiators recalled for an instrument cluster failure.

These high profile reports came the same week as new sales figures were released showing that five of the top ten slowest-selling cars in 2024 were Stellantis offerings, including the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the Dodge Hornet, and both the Maserati Levante and Grecale.

To make matters worse, the United Auto Workers union has announced plans to hold strike votes at multiple Stellantis local chapters in the coming days, presenting the possibility of further disruptions to production at a time when the company's already facing pushback on their plan to move Dodge Durango production from the United States to Mexico.

All of the bad news has prompted a telling reaction from dealerships: a public letter classifying the company's recent actions as a "disaster", with accusations that the brand is facing "rapid degradation" due to "short-term decision making" that has hurt the iconic Jeep brand's reputation.

The bad publicity has driven the great-grandson of Walter Chrysler to offer to purchase Chrysler, Jeep, and other brands back from Stellantis, an offer that the company rejected in a terse, 75-word press release.

For over 80 years, Jeeps have been the preferred adventure vehicle across America, delivering millions of vehicles to outdoors enthusiasts, the United States military, and adventure seekers across the globe. Hopefully, Stellantis can resolve their issues and continue to develop the next generation of iconic vehicles.