An Illinois couple’s lawsuit over a Jeep Gladiator that allegedly caught fire while parked in their driveway is moving forward after a federal judge rejected FCA US’s attempt to force the dispute into arbitration.
Sandra and James Teuber allege their 2022 Gladiator caught fire on July 5, 2024, while sitting roughly 10 feet from the attached garage of their Bull Valley home. The pickup was ultimately destroyed, and the couple says the fire also damaged their property.
The case has taken on considerably greater significance since it was filed, as the electrical connection the plaintiffs blame for the fire is now associated with a recall covering approximately 1.07 million Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators.
The allegations haven’t been proven in court, and the recent ruling doesn’t determine whether FCA is responsible for the fire. It simply means the Teubers’ case can continue in federal court rather than being moved into arbitration.
A Parked Gladiator Allegedly Went Up In Flames
According to the lawsuit, James Teuber noticed black smoke coming from the front of his house and discovered the Gladiator burning in the driveway. He called 911, moved his wife and children away from the home, and unsuccessfully attempted to fight the flames with a garden hose.
By the time firefighters arrived, the Jeep was reportedly engulfed, with heat from the blaze melting portions of the garage door and trim. Firefighters eventually had a tow truck lift the vehicle so they could access its underside and finish extinguishing the fire.
The plaintiffs allege approximately 20 gallons of gasoline spilled onto their property during the incident. They also claim firefighters used around 3,800 gallons of water and 35 gallons of firefighting foam to control the blaze.
The Teubers allege the Gladiator’s power-steering pump electrical connector caused the fire. Their lawsuit seeks damages under several theories, including product liability, negligence, warranty claims, and Illinois consumer-protection law.
FCA Couldn’t Force The Case Into Arbitration
FCA attempted to have the dispute moved out of federal court, arguing that the couple was bound by an arbitration agreement. The Teubers disputed that they had agreed to arbitrate claims against FCA when they signed the Gladiator’s lease paperwork.
A federal judge sided with the plaintiffs on that issue and denied FCA’s motion to compel arbitration. That keeps the lawsuit alive in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, although the underlying claims still need to be litigated.
More Than A Million Jeeps Are Now Being Recalled
The alleged failure at the heart of the lawsuit has since become the subject of a much larger safety campaign. According to the NHTSA, FCA recalled 1,076,999 model-year 2021 through 2025 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators in June over an electrical connection involving the electric-hydraulic power-steering pump wiring.
The recall states that excessive resistance at the connection can generate enough heat to ignite nearby combustible material. Particularly concerning for owners, the problem can potentially cause a fire even when the Jeep is parked with its ignition switched off.
At the time of the park-outside warning, federal safety regulators said they were aware of 51 fires and one injury potentially related to the problem. Owners of affected vehicles were advised to park outside and away from structures and other vehicles until the necessary repair was completed.
For the Teubers, that warning arrived long after their Gladiator allegedly burned beside their home. Their lawsuit will now continue as FCA simultaneously deals with the same general area of concern across more than one million Jeeps.