Customer Corner : Stellantis Part 2 – The Rot Deepens

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We could have filled volumes from yesterday’s exposé alone. The rot ran deep enough to stain every page. Today we tug on threads left dangling: the sore spots that fester beneath the flash. No boardroom spin, only raw, verifiable failures that bleed into every drive.

Jobs Cut to the Bone

Italy’s auto heartland is hollowing out. In 2025 Stellantis slashed almost 2,500 roles via voluntary exit schemes at Cassino, Atessa, Mirafiori and beyond. These “choices” mask a slow amputation of expertise. Factories that once thrummed with grease-stained hands now limp on fewer feet. When master craftsmen depart, institutional memory walks out the door. Replacements fill seats but lack the nuance of fit and finish. Panel gaps widen; rattles echo down assembly lines. Local economies reel as bars shutter and streets fall silent. Voluntary exits may sound humane, but they amount to abandonment dressed as flexibility .

EV Hype, Reality Lags

Stellantis trumpeted an electric Ram revolution – a thunderclap promise to shake the pickup market. Instead, EV launches slip again: the Ram 1500 REV now pushed into 2026 or later, while hybrid Ramcharger models shuffle along. Dealers juggle hopeful orders under harsh showroom lights, only to deliver revised dates. Supply chains groan: battery cells, semiconductors and software stacks not ready for prime time. Announcing EV plans costs nothing; delivering late machines costs customers’ trust and hands rivals fresh ammunition .

Bribery Stain in the Veins

The 2021 guilty plea by FCA- now Stellantis – for UAW bribery exposed corporate rot. Between 2009 and 2016, executives funnelled over $3.5 million in illicit payments to union officials to secure soft labour deals. A $30 million penalty and years under an independent monitor followed, yet no jail time and only superficial culture slides in reports. In factory canteens and negotiation rooms, the taste of betrayal lingers: workers once trusting talks now demand every clause in black and white. When corner‑cutting seeps into union deals, it seeps into every weld and wire .

Diesel Defeat Device Echo: The Playbook Runs Deep

Between 2014 and 2016, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 diesels ran software designed to cheat emissions tests – fooling lab runs while dumping NOₓ at many times legal limits. In 2019, FCA paid $305 million to the EPA, $72.5 million to states, then applied engine fixes without admitting bad faith. For owners, retrofits meant weaker performance and lingering suspicion.


Fast-forward: Cummins – the engine room behind many Ram pickups – landed a $1.675 billion Clean Air Act settlement in December 2023 for similar defeat‑device tactics on roughly 600,000+ engines in Ram 2500 and 3500 models. Cummins CEO Jennifer Rumsey shrugged “no evidence of bad faith” even as fines and recalls mounted. Two companies, two cheat scandals, two billion‑dollar payouts – and the same script: cheat, deny intent, pay up, repeat. Each diesel rumble now carries that betrayal in its tailpipe .

Wrangler “Death Wobble”

Jeep Wrangler’s violent shakes at speed aren’t folklore – they’re logged nightmares. Hundreds of NHTSA complaints recount front suspension failures that send the vehicle shuddering like an earthquake the moment it hits a bump. Stellantis issued service bulletins tightening torque specs and upgrading components, but owners report fixes feel surface-level. A sudden wobble at highway pace is a warning: build tolerances slipping, safety margins eroding. Each jolt betrays the off-road promise and leaves drivers gripping the wheel in disbelief .

Hybrid on Fire

In September 2023, Alfa Romeo Tonale and Dodge Hornet PHEVs were recalled for loose battery connectors that risked short circuits and fire. Owners faced urgent “park outside” advisories until repairs arrived. A sleek hybrid badge turned into a furnace alarm. No spin erases the memory of melting plastic or charred engine bays. Even after clamps and cable reroutes, the scars remain in owners’ minds – and in trust that once burned is slow to heal .

Tigershark Oil Burn

The 2.4 L Tigershark engine gulped oil excessively – so much that drivers risked sudden stalls mid-drive and costly repairs. In 2023 FCA settled a class action for about $8 million rather than overhaul engine design. Drivers footed repair bills and lived with constant oil checks; the company paid a ledger sum and moved on. Each startup carried that risk in its pistons and headlines, a reminder that short‑term savings trumped long‑term reliability .

Recall Hangover

Major recalls grab headlines – airbags, emissions, software – but the downstream service bulletins and firmware patches admit failure up front. Quality control becomes a chase: patch one defect only to expose the next. Each bandage update masks a wound that seeps once warranty ends. Owners learn to expect fixes rather than reliability, and dealerships brace for repeat visits while executives chalk penalties to expense.

Emissions Shadow

Stellantis has paid over $500 million in US settlements for diesel emissions breaches in Ram and Jeep models; Cummins added nearly $2 billion in fines and recall costs. Those penalties still cast a pall over pickups rolling off lots today. Every throttle press whispers of past cheats – lab deception coded into engine control units – and of costs borne by owners, taxpayers and air quality alike .

Cost of Routine Fines

Bribes, defeat‑device penalties, labour scandals, recalls: all treated as ledger overhead. Cut corners, pay penalties, move on. When fines read like routine expenses, accountability dies. No public proof of deeper back‑room deals beyond known cases, yet a habit forms when penalties feel like mere line items, not catalysts for real change.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

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