Stellantis NV says it could scrap 25 new vehicles that were damaged this weekend during the flooding in Detroit following a torrential downpour.
Photos posted on social media this weekend showed the shipping yard adjacent to the transatlantic automaker’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant on the city’s east side full of water up reaching above the bottom of the SUVs’ side windows. The company is not specifying which models were affected, but Jefferson North and the adjacent Mack Assembly Plant assemble the two-row and three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango.
“As a result of the severe storms that came through Detroit on June 25, 25 vehicles were damaged in the flooded shipping yard adjacent to the Jefferson North Assembly Plant,” Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in a statement. “All vehicles will be inspected and based on the severity of the damage, could be scrapped. Those vehicle assessments are ongoing.”
Cities from Detroit to Ann Arbor received between 4 to 6.5 inches within 12 hours between Friday night and Saturday, overwhelming water and sewer infrastructure. Drivers abandoned vehicles in flooded roads, basements were inundated and thousands of residents and businesses experienced power outages.
The Jefferson North plant experienced significant flooding, and Stellantis canceled the first shift on Saturday due to local road closures.
Ford Motor Co. halted Bronco production Friday night in Wayne because of the rains. Production of the F-150 pickup truck on Saturday in Dearborn was canceled because employees were having difficulty making it into work. No vehicles, however, were damaged, spokeswoman Kelli Felker confirmed.
The rains did not affect General Motors Co.’s operations this weekend, spokesman David Barnas said. Its Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant is undergoing a changeover to produce electric vehicles later this year.
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble