Jeep Gladiator Fire Lawsuit Advances as Massive Recall Looms

A federal lawsuit over a 2022 Jeep Gladiator that allegedly caught fire while parked outside an Illinois home is moving forward. The family claims the pickup burned in 2024 due to a faulty power steering pump electrical connector, which also damaged their property. FCA US tried to push the case into arbitration, but a judge rejected that move.

The alleged problem is now tied to a recall covering over one million vehicles.

Sandra and James Teuber leased the Gladiator in September 2022. According to a July 6 federal court order, the truck caught fire on July 5, 2024, while parked in front of their Bull Valley, Illinois, home. James reportedly saw black smoke and then found the Jeep fully engulfed. The flames damaged the garage door and trim, and the fire destroyed the vehicle and its contents.

Gas allegedly spilled onto the property, and firefighters had to lift the truck to put out the blaze.

The lawsuit seeks damages under product-liability, negligence, warranty, and Illinois consumer-fraud laws. These are allegations that have not yet been proven in court. When the Teubers filed suit in early 2025, the power steering connection was under a federal investigation covering a smaller group of Jeeps.

In June, however, FCA recalled 1,076,999 model-year 2021-2025 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators over an electrical connection in the electric-hydraulic power steering pump wiring.

The concern is a high-resistance connection that can overheat and ignite nearby combustible materials, even when the vehicle is off. At the time of the park-outside warning, NHTSA said it knew of 51 fires and one injury likely linked to the issue. Owners were told to park affected vehicles outside and away from buildings until repaired.

For the Teubers, that warning came roughly two years after their Gladiator burned beside their home.