A few numbers are doing a lot of heavy lifting in a federal courtroom in Michigan. Chrysler wants a judge to focus on one in particular: 27.

That’s how many Pacifica Hybrid minivans the automaker says actually caught fire out of more than 16,700 sold. On that math, plus the (second) recall fix, Fiat Chrysler argues a sweeping battery fire class action lawsuit should be dismissed.

The case centers on 2017 and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV minivans

According to CarComplaints.com, plaintiffs claim defects in the high-voltage lithium ion battery can trigger thermal runaway, causing spontaneous fires. Reportedly, this could happen while the car is parked and turned off.

Multiple lawsuits were filed across the country, including Huntington v. FCA and Gomez v. FCA, before being consolidated into a single case titled In re: Chrysler Pacifica Fire Recall Products Liability Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Even the judge, David M. Lawson, noted the scale of the filing. The complaint runs more than 1,450 paragraphs across 430 pages. Chrysler’s response is blunt: Most plaintiffs, the automaker says, cannot show their own minivans were ever defective.

In court filings, FCA states only 27 vehicles, or about 0.16% of the population, experienced a fire.

Engineers traced the issue to torn or folded anode tabs inside the battery

Software introduced in 2022 under NHTSA recall 22V 077, known internally as Z11, was designed to detect battery anomalies. Owners were told not to charge and to park outside until repairs were completed.

But that fix didn’t fully stop the problem.

Seven additional fires were reported after the software update, prompting a second recall in July 2024

NHTSA recall 24V 536, or 73B, rolled out updated battery control software and expanded battery inspections.

As of November 30, 2023, Chrysler says software flagged 750 batteries for replacement, with actual defects confirmed in 34 units.

Chrysler told the court there have been no known fires since the 73B remedy was performed

It also argues four plaintiffs who did experience battery issues received free replacements, leaving no financial injury. Until a defect actually appears, FCA says, owners received what they paid for.

Plaintiffs also allege Chrysler knew about the battery risks before selling the vehicles. FCA denies that, stating it did not identify the manufacturing anomaly until late 2019, well after the minivans were sold.