Home > Have Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler Lost Their Way Since Stellantis Acquisition?

Have Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler Lost Their Way Since Stellantis Acquisition?

By Brett Foote - November 26, 2025

Stellantis has made some puzzling decisions since acquiring Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler, leaving it in a rather precarious position today.

Over their long and illustrious histories, Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler have churned out some truly iconic and groundbreaking vehicles, ones that millions have happily lined up to purchase. This has happened as the brands have lived under the the umbrella of more than one automaker in recent years, including the defunct Daimler Chrysler and now, Stellantis. Problem is, since Stellantis was born back in 2021 – replacing Fiat Chrysler – it hasn’t exactly been on what one might call a hot streak.

In this recent video from the YouTube channel Savage Geese, our hosts take a deeper look at this history of Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler, after both grew up driving some of those brands’ most legendary vehicles – and today, they continue to drive and review them. What’s changed is the brands used to churn out some truly compelling and affordable commodity vehicles – see, the Neon, for example – models that were truly breakthrough products though ultimately discarded like trash.

In more modern times, we have the Challenger, Charger, and 300, which sold well, but the company opted not to reinvest the profits it made from them into, well, updating them. Ram and Jeep were generating tons of profit as well, and yet, Stellantis simply opted not to invest in modernizing those vehicles at the same rate as its rivals – at least, for a period of time. Our hosts believe that much of this stems from leadership that doesn’t reside in the U.S., and thus, doesn’t truly understand the American consumer.

That much is clear from Stellantis’ decisions to move away from V8 powerplants and instead develop four- and six-cylinder engines or EVs, decisions that it’s now trying to reverse. Trouble is, it takes years to develop new engines, platforms, and products, so we’re not likely to see major changes anytime soon. The same goes for reliability and quality control, which have become thorns in the sides of many Stellantis products, and yet, aren’t terribly easy to fix – nor are they something that can be rectified in short order.

This is true of the modern-day Gladiator and Wrangler, too, which have faced everything from rust issues to the 4xe hybrid completely bricking itself, which isn’t a good look given just how expensive these vehicles are. Our host blames a lack of focus and clear direction here – it’s no secret Jeep is a major strength in the Stellantis portfolio and an incredibly popular brand in the U.S., so why not focus on getting it right?

Other brands that have succeeded in this mission – see, Toyota – have focused on quality and making products like the RAV4 that customers can count on, and they’re affordable, to boot. Stellantis has largely abandoned such things, focusing on pricier and more feature-laden models, which don’t tend to hold their value well in some cases simply because of its poor reputation for building vehicles lacking in terms of quality. It’s a tough situation for enthusiasts, but as fans of these brands themselves, our hosts hope that the ship can be righted – as is certainly the case with us as well.