Grand Cherokee L

Make
Jeep
Segment
SUV

An unexpected and unwelcomed summer storm struck the Detroit, Michigan region last week, leaving significant flooding in parts of the city. This included Stellantis' Jefferson North Assembly Plant, charged with building the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango. Ford's Dearborn Truck plant, home of the F-150, also sustained damage but newly-built vehicles were not affected. Production was forced to be temporarily halted for both the F-150 and Bronco, however. General Motors got lucky with no damage reported. That's not the case for Stellantis.

The Detroit News has confirmed with the automaker that "25 vehicles were damaged in the flooded shipyard adjacent to the (factory)."

"All vehicles will be inspected and based on severity of the damage, could be scrapped. Those vehicle assessments remain ongoing." Only now has Stellantis acknowledged what we assumed to be the case on Sunday; there's no way some of those parked SUVs could be saved. The photo included above says it all.

The water level reached as high as the side windows for some of the vehicles and a couple more look nearly submerged. Flooding causes significant vehicular damage to both the engine and mold. It's possible a few components can be saved but, in general, these SUVs are heading to the crusher.

There have been unfortunate situations following a hurricane making landfall where shady car dealers have attempted to fix and then sell several water-damaged used vehicles. A good mechanic and cleanup crew will know how to hide the damage resulting in unsuspecting buyers looking for a good deal (or anxious hurricane victims looking to replace their destroyed previous car) being duped. But this is a major automaker here and it's doing the right thing because there was no other choice.

The all-new Grand Cherokee L is slated to arrive in dealerships shortly while the next-gen two-door variant will officially debut soon as well. The Durango, entering its 11th model year, is long overdue for a complete overhaul.