My 2022 Gladiator burned down... how?

[JeepOfTheseus]

Truck was off. nothing was on, and also, these accessories have fuses! fuse would go out before anything.

Sure, they have fuses...but that's why I was curious if this is off the factory aux switch and/or if that was an installed option. A fuse only protects what comes after...so I would agree if you wired these accessories properly to a factory installed aux switch, this would seem like a manufacture defect.

Also, the battery doesn't care if the truck/accessories are off. If you had a short before a fuse, it's a live wire regardless.

Sponsored

 

[ChrisNLA]

Shouldnt I be paid for at least the $71k I paid to the dealership?

No.

Is that a Sport? Hard to tell with what is left of it, but based on the low rear fender looks like a Sport, Willys, or Overland.

You'll get paid what the approximate local replacement cost is of another stock Gladiator. The insurance company doesn't care about what you paid the dealer. I assume you bought the Jeep already outfitted from the dealer? Unless all of those non OEM accessories were agreed to with your insurance company upon purchase - they don't care about them. They were not factory options on the original window sticker as manufactured in Toledo, OH. They were add-ons by the local dealer, at their location.

Now, they do have insurance lawyers (or whatever they are known as) out there that work these kinds of cases to get you maximum value. You can look for one of those if you like.

That's just how insurance works.

Now - if you want to fight Jeep - I wouldn't know where to begin on that.

When my GF's 2012 Altima was totaled in an accident (not her fault) the insurance company looked up stock Altima's in the area that were for sale and of the same year model, mileage, etc. They showed us the ad's and said look, based on replacement costs - we are going to write you a check of X. We could have appealed it, or got a lawyer - but in her case we thought the value was fair and she needed the money ASAP to get new wheels.

Sucks though - glad it was just a truck and not a person or a house.

 

[mkopec]

Watching this. Horrified by your loss, and the potential for wider damage. Is there a known issue with the Gladiators?

 

[Jeep~N~Jay]

Standard or automatic? Gas or Diesel?

 

[Jeep~N~Jay]

Watching this. Horrified by your loss, and the potential for wider damage. Is there a known issue with the Gladiators?

there is in the standards. The clutch is known to overheat and catch fire.

 

[cranbiz]

Shouldnt I be paid for at least the $71k I paid to the dealership? And shouldnt ALLSTATE pay out and then subrogate with Jeep? this is all new to me. I feel as though the fire was caused by one of the batteries according to the firechief, the vehicle also tried starting while the firemen were putting out the 10 ft flames. they had the fire contained and out and they could not leave due to the fact they could not get one of the batteries to stop glowing. shouldnt I get All of my invested money, why should a victim take any loss. lots of what if's involved here. what if I had parked it in my garage, nobody would have seen the blaze until the truck exploded due to just filling the gas tank. What if I would have been in the vehicle? just frustrated.

Unfortunately, no. You shouldn't get $71K. A new vehicle depreciates the minute you buy it. Some depreciate less than others. You may have Gap Insurance, that is a separate policy that will cover the difference between value and amount financed. If you do have Gap, you need to contact that carrier and file a claim.

Yes, Allstate should pay you the agreed amount (which is not going to be $71K) and subrogate. You should not be hostage. Do you have vehicle replacement insurance? It's usually an add on to your vehicle insurance.

What you feel as the cause doesn't count. It may have been a battery, it may not have been. The fact that the vehicle tried to start during the fire means nothing as to the cause. It could have been a short due to the fire. I have seen cars do lots of strange stuff at car fires.

Yes, batteries in a fire can and will internally short. It usually takes a lot of water to cool a battery fire, See what happens to batteries in EV's when they ignite.

If the fire had started when inside the garage, you would be fighting with 2 insurance companies and a homeowners policy has just as many if not more hoops to jump thru. And your truck gas tank is not a bomb, it won't explode. It will add to the fuel load of the fire. It takes specific conditions for a gas tank to explode and being full is not one of them.

Again, no. You have depreciation on the vehicle and unless you itemized any modifications, Allstate is not obligated to pay for them. I know it sucks but that's the way it is. Did you read your policy fully when you bought it?

If you were in the truck, I would hope you had enough sense to get out of it.

Man, I really do feel for you and hope you get things worked out. I just think you have unrealistic expectations.

 

[cranbiz]

I should be reimburused in full do to the fact that this is a manufacturer defect. my truck was not even a year old. I did not plan on selling or trading my vehicle in. Jeep should at least honor as a lemon law. I cannot get a new jeep with factory lift and oversize wheels which I purchased my Jeep with. so I should take a $23k loss? put yourself in my position. would you be willing to take a $23k loss on a vehicle that you just purchased? where is justice here?

You don't know that it is a manufacturing defect. A manual transmission JT can catch fire due to an overheated clutch but this is not your scenario. Allstate is going to say one thing, Stellantis is going to say another thing. You need an independent investigator to determine cause. Did the Fire Marshall investigate it? If so, get his report.

 

[Dougstdig]

Shouldnt I be paid for at least the $71k I paid to the dealership? And shouldnt ALLSTATE pay out and then subrogate with Jeep? this is all new to me. I feel as though the fire was caused by one of the batteries according to the firechief, the vehicle also tried starting while the firemen were putting out the 10 ft flames. they had the fire contained and out and they could not leave due to the fact they could not get one of the batteries to stop glowing. shouldnt I get All of my invested money, why should a victim take any loss. lots of what if's involved here. what if I had parked it in my garage, nobody would have seen the blaze until the truck exploded due to just filling the gas tank. What if I would have been in the vehicle? just frustrated.

A vehicle is a depreciable asset. It’s now a 2year old used vehicle. If aftermarket add ons are not documented they will be an uphill battle. With the car market the way it is pinning anyone down to a value is difficult at best.

Atty vs PA. All I will say is if you end up getting an attorney and you already had a PA, both will get a cut. Typical percentages are PA-20% on dwelling policies “non-cat” (not sure on auto) and attorneys are 1/3 to 40%…possibly with additional fees taken out. These may also be governed by your state.

 

[Kirk*Mojave]

Your insurance isn't going pay for all of the aftermarket stuff you installed on the truck unless you told them about it before the truck burnt to the ground. Your insurance is going to give you fair market value for your loss...

 

[obrianmcc]

Not to rub salt ... I'm sympathetic to your loss and it sucks. However, I'd like to see a list of what is totally 23k in extras here?

 

[wchevron]

I just saw a '23 Gladiator at the dealership with 37's, mopar lift, aftermarket front bumper, winch for $75,000. I'm guessing yours was somewhat similar, meaning all done at the dealership. Allstate is probably looking at a stock Gladiator (whichever model) and saying we can buy one for X so that is what we are offering you as a replacement check. If you can show them yours came with the additional items, from the dealer, I would think they would have to add the cost of those into your replacement check since you didn't buy a "stock" Gladiator.

 

[steveorama]

Although not the same situation as you, oddly enough my claim happened on 8/6 and I'm also dealing with Allstate. I was t-boned by an uninsured driver vs a fire, but still no fault of me. There's been a lot of back and forth with the collision center and insurance, but after 2 months, I'm having less and less hope of getting my Jeep back and instead they total it out as the bills are just getting higher.

That said, my '21 Overland had 20k miles on it, plus the mods I've done to it. Since I didn't have additional coverage for the "accessories" as they call it, I'm not expecting anything additional for those and I'm crossing my fingers to convince them to let me swap back the factory parts if they do total it. I also didn't have "new car" replacement coverage where they would of put me into a newer model of my Jeep. So right now the best I can expect is whatever fair market value they put on it if it ends up totaled. Again, no fault of my own and I'm out the deductible it's just the way it is sadly. Insurance is all about the coverages you pay for. The more you're willing to pay for coverages the more you can recoup in an accident. You're basically betting that you will get in an accident and the insurance is betting you don't. Just like any other bet though, the amount you wager reflects your winnings. Lessons learned on me, I'll probably carry additional coverage in the future, but as this is my first major accident in over 20 years of driving it may be another 20 years before I need it.

I really can feel for you, these last 2 months have been stressful trying to figure everything out.

 

[TheRealStreetcommander]

We are losing the trees for the forest. You asked how a parked Gladiator which hadn't been driven in a long while and who's owner is wildly upside down on it, could suddenly and magically burn to the ground. Typically that situation is the result of an applied accelerant, a flame source, and a manufactured alibi... Proceed with extreme caution when pushing the insurance companies buttons.

 

[Guns_N_Rosaries]

Honestly it sounds like you need to lawyer up. Allstate says it's Jeep, and Jeep says it's not them. Were these mods done by the dealership? It could have been that the wiring job they did was awful, and caused the fire. I'm really sorry this happened to you. Like others have said with the insurance, if you just had it insured as a Jeep Gladiator with X trim level, then that's all they'll pay out for, and even then they'll try to go as cheaply as possible. You generally have to itemize and submit any aftermarket parts for them to cover them (at an increased premium).

 

[Rahkmalla]

who's owner is wildly upside down on it

I think you're reading in some information that isn't there. OP has not mentioned whether the vehicle was financed, or their equity position if so.

As to the rest: let OP be an (unfortunate) lesson to us all. You need to know how much insurance you actually have. I called USAA to find out how modifications get covered before i installed any. In my state i get 5k max coverage for mods, no need to pre-notify of the specifics, but in the event of a loss i must present all receipts. This is policy set by your state's insurance commission.

My vehicle has more than 5k worth of work done, and USAA does not offer agreed value policies in my state for vehicles being used as everyday commuters, so my only option to help protect myself was additional new car replacement coverages (20% over ACV).

An example such as OP's would have me reimbursed 61.4k rather than 47k. still a loss, but for a 2 year old vehicle, certainly a more tolerable one.

Sponsored