Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Maserati, among others, has confirmed that it has added 2,000 new engineers to its workforce to improve the quality and reliability of its vehicles.
The recruiting push, which the automaker announced on an earnings call last month, was described by Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa as part of a “deep reset of our quality organization.”
“We are resetting execution and improving quality management processes to address past operational issues triggered by previous decisions,” Mr. Filosa said during an earnings conference call.
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Stellantis appointed Sébastien Jacquet as Chief Quality Officer in June 2025, joining the leadership team.
“Our global quality improvement offensive is off to a strong start, with one month in operation, over 50 percent improvement in North America, over 30 percent improvement in Europe and 20 percent improvement in South America since 2025,” said Mr. Filosa.
Accordingly Automotive NewsAccording to a 2025 U.S. vehicle quality study, Chrysler (no longer sold here) and Ram were below average – even though Ram took the top spot in both 2021 and 2024.
Jeep ranked 11th overall in the 2025 JD Power Initial Quality Study, boosted by the Gladiator midsize pickup truck’s win in its segment.
However, Automotive News pointed to a Consumer Reports Review of the Jeep Wagoneer S electric SUV, which described the vehicle as “unfinished.”
The Wagoneer S uses the new STLA Large platform, which also underpins the Jeep Recon and a new generation of Cherokee that left local showrooms in 2023. The Cherokee isn’t coming Down Under, although the Recon and Wagoneer S have already been confirmed for a local launch but are yet to appear in Australian showrooms.
“In my opinion, this probably all comes down to technology,” said Sean Hogan, chairman of the Stellantis National Dealer Council Automotive News.
“If you make the cuts that (Carlos) Tavares made and still want to have the same quality, that’s just not going to happen.”
Mr. Tavares, who previously led the French brand Renault, unexpectedly left his top job at Stellantis in December 2024. The company cited “differing views” between the board and the now former CEO.
It’s not all bad, as the Ram 1500 was named the most reliable light-duty pickup in the latest JD Power 2026 US Vehicle Dependability Study.
Ram came in 17th, the best of all Stellantis brands, but still below the industry average, while Jeep came in 25th.
In the broader results, Lexus was ranked the most reliable overall brand, while the Lexus IS sedan was also declared the most reliable individual model.
MORE: Explore the Ram showroom
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