Fuel and Oil Refresh Mode ‘Defect’ Leaves Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee 4xe Without Electric-Only Driving, Class Action Says

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A proposed class action alleges 2021-2023 model year Jeep Wrangler 4xe and 2022-2023 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid vehicles suffer from a defect that leaves their electric-only driving mode unavailable once they enter “Fuel and Oil Refresh Mode” (FORM). 

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The 64-page complaint says that the FORM defect that blocks electric-only driving mode is “triggered frequently and for long periods,” making it impossible for consumers to drive their vehicles on electric power as advertised. In colder weather, the problem is even worse, the case says, and can leave electric-only driving “completely unavailable for the majority or entirety of the winter.” 

“Plaintiffs and class members paid a significant premium for the 4xe plug-in hybrid vehicles over the internal combustion-only versions of the same models, and therefore overpaid at the time of purchase for a feature that is not usable as represented,” the lawsuit against FCA US and Stellantis summarizes, stressing that the advertising for affected Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models emphasizes the vehicles’ electric-only driving capabilities. 

Per the suit, FORM is designed to both prevent engine and fuel system damage due to stale fuel and maintain engine lubrication, yet unique to the Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe is that their FORM cycle is initiated without any “analysis of fuel contamination in the engine’s oil,” the case alleges. 

The filing says that drivers have no way to control their vehicle’s FORM cycle, and during a cycle, the car will run using only gasoline and inhibit electric-only driving. According to the lawsuit, the amount of time a vehicle runs its FORM cycle depends on “why the cycle is initiated.” Although a FORM cycle triggered by stale fuel can be stopped by simply refueling the car, a FORM cycle run to maintain engine lubrication “cannot be stopped by any action by the driver,” the lawsuit relays. 

The case says that although the defendants maintain that an engine lubrication-triggered FORM cycle can run for up to 20 minutes when a vehicle is “fully warm,” drivers have reported that it takes significantly longer than that, particularly in cold conditions. 

Despite acknowledging the issue, the defendants, rather than resolve the problem, merely revised the language in the vehicles’ owners’ manual to reflect that FORM cycles may last longer than 20 minutes, the suit says. 

The case claims FCA and Stellantis knew about the FORM cycle defect yet continued to sell Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe vehicles without disclosing that their electric battery would be “wholly useless in cold temperatures.” 

The lawsuit looks to cover all persons nationwide who bought or leased, other than for resale, a 2021-2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe or 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. 

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