Stellantis Made One Bold Claim About Their New Jeep Engine That Has Critics Raising Eyebrows
Stellantis just unveiled technology that promises to revolutionize their entire lineup.
But the proof is in the pudding as they say.
And Stellantis made one bold claim about their new Jeep engine that has critics raising eyebrows.
Stellantis dropped a bombshell this week with their all-new 2.0-liter Hurricane 4 Turbo engine making its debut in the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The company's touting numbers that sound almost too good to be true — 324 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque from a four-cylinder that burns 10% less fuel while delivering 20% more power than their current 2.0-liter engine.¹
But anyone paying attention to Stellantis's recent history has every reason to be skeptical about these promises of power and reliability combined.
Formula 1 technology meets mass production
The Hurricane 4 Turbo uses something called turbulent jet ignition — the same combustion technology found in top-tier racing engines including Formula 1.²
The system works by firing a spark plug inside a tiny chamber mounted on top of each cylinder. That initial combustion shoots flames through small holes into the main cylinder, creating a more aggressive and complete fuel burn than conventional ignition.³
Stellantis senior vice president Micky Bly claimed the engine delivers "162 horsepower per liter of displacement" through this system combined with a variable geometry turbocharger.⁴
The engine runs on regular 87 octane gasoline despite using a 12:1 compression ratio — something that would normally cause engine-damaging knock.⁵
Each cylinder gets two spark plugs, one for the pre-chamber and one for the main chamber, plus both port and direct fuel injection systems that the computer switches between based on driving demands.⁶
The turbocharger pumps out up to 35 psi of boost, and Stellantis says 90% of peak torque is available between 2,600 and 5,600 rpm.⁷
Stellantis has a serious credibility problem on engines
The Hurricane 4 Turbo sounds impressive on paper, but Stellantis customers have been burned badly by the company's engine problems over the past several years.
The company's 1.2 PureTech three-cylinder engine turned into a reliability nightmare affecting an estimated 500,000 vehicle owners across Europe.⁸
That engine used a timing belt immersed in engine oil — a design that caused the belts to disintegrate and send rubber debris throughout the engine, leading to clogged oil systems, excessive oil consumption, and catastrophic engine failures.⁹
Stellantis issued multiple recalls starting in November 2020, yet customers continued reporting that dealerships refused to help and wouldn't cover the costs of repairs.¹⁰
Class action lawsuits were launched in France to protect consumers who got stuck with failed engines, and the scandal spread across Europe.¹¹
Even after Stellantis supposedly fixed the problem by switching to a timing chain in 2023, the new version still had camshaft faults affecting engines manufactured between 2023 and February 2024.¹²
The company had to implement two separate fixes — one in January 2024 and another in February 2024 — before the problem was finally resolved.¹³
J.D. Power data shows Stellantis brands near bottom
Independent reliability data backs up what customers already know about Stellantis quality issues.
According to J.D. Power's dependability study, Chrysler ranks among the least dependable brands with owners reporting 226 problems per 100 vehicles — significantly worse than the industry average of 186 problems per 100 vehicles.¹⁴
Even Dodge, which beat the industry average, still had customers reporting 172 problems per 100 vehicles.¹⁵
Ram trucks came in at 189 problems per 100 vehicles, barely below average.¹⁶
The existing Hurricane inline-six engine that launched in 2021 has already generated complaints about thermostat failures, carbon buildup on intake valves, oil leaks, and turbocharger issues.¹⁷
Customers dealing with repeat engine problems have had to consult lemon law attorneys to fight manufacturers who refuse to stand behind defective vehicles.¹⁸
Online reviews of Stellantis are brutal, with one customer reporting their 2025 Jeep Wrangler needed a complete engine replacement after just four months.¹⁹
Another Ram 1500 owner said their brand-new truck spent more time in the shop than on the road, returning to the dealership four times since May for the same wheel sensor problems.²⁰
Michigan assembly won't solve fundamental design questions
Stellantis made a point of emphasizing that the Hurricane 4 Turbo will be assembled at their Dundee, Michigan facility, with production later expanding to Kokomo, Indiana.²¹
That's great for American manufacturing jobs, but it doesn't address the fundamental question: will this complex engine actually prove reliable over 100,000 miles of real-world driving?
The engine uses aerospace-grade Plasma Transfer Wire Arc coating in the cylinder bores — the same technology as the Hurricane six-cylinder.²²
Stellantis claims this coating provides 10 times the wear resistance of conventional iron cylinder liners.²³
https://twitter.com/tuningblog_eu/status/1983249778537545933
But adding Formula 1 combustion technology to a mass-produced engine that needs to last for years introduces complexity that could become a maintenance nightmare once warranties expire.
The engine's dual fuel injection system, variable geometry turbocharger, two spark plugs per cylinder, and racing-derived pre-chamber ignition all represent potential failure points that customers will have to deal with.
The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Hurricane 4 Turbo goes on sale later this year, with pricing starting at $46,135 for models equipped with the new engine.²⁴
Stellantis is betting this technology will define their future powertrain strategy across multiple brands globally.
But customers who've dealt with PureTech engine failures, Hurricane six-cylinder problems, and Stellantis's pattern of poor customer service have every right to remain skeptical until this engine proves itself over several years of real-world use.
The automotive industry has seen plenty of impressive engineering promises that turned into expensive reliability disasters for owners.
Time will tell whether the Hurricane 4 Turbo joins that list or actually delivers on Stellantis's bold claims.
¹ Stellantis Media, "Stellantis' All-new 2.0-liter Hurricane 4 Turbo Engine Packs Big Power With Race-proven Combustion Technology," October 28, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ambrosio and Commodo, "The problem of PureTech STELLANTIS engines," May 30, 2024.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² ItalPassion, "Stellantis: the new 1.2L Puretech Gen3 had a small problem… quickly corrected!," April 8, 2025.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ MotorBiscuit, "Stellantis Has a Dependability Problem According to a New Study," November 14, 2023.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ The Lemon Law Experts, "4 Hurricane Engine Problems & How to Fix Them," April 23, 2025.
¹⁸ Ibid.
¹⁹ Trustpilot, "stellantis.com Reviews," August 9, 2025.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ Stellantis Media, "Stellantis' All-new 2.0-liter Hurricane 4 Turbo Engine Packs Big Power With Race-proven Combustion Technology," October 28, 2025.
²² Autoblog, "Jeep Debuts New Hurricane 4 Turbo Engine: Six-Cylinder Power From a Small Four," October 28, 2025.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ Expedition Portal, "2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Introduces Hurricane 4 Turbo and Streamlined Lineup," October 28, 2025.
