When you're unveiling your latest electric off-roader to the world, the last thing you want is a group of content creators treating it like discount furniture from a going-out-of-business sale. Yet that's exactly what happened to Jeep's all-new Recon at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week, and the automaker is not amused.
A viral video from LA-based creators The Middle Lane showed the group literally peeling apart the interior of the freshly revealed electric SUV, with one creator announcing to the camera that they'd "disassembled the Jeep" as plastic panels came loose from the center console.
The video, which racked up millions of views before being scrubbed from most platforms, featured the influencers criticizing everything from interior panel gaps to overall construction quality, questioning whether the vehicle justified its $65,000 price tag . They shook various components and highlighted what they considered shoddy workmanship on the electric Trail Rated SUV that had just made its public debut days earlier.
"What is this car made of?" the influencers asked, tugging at various pieces of plastic around the infotainment screen. "It's made out of cheese."
While the price tag is a bit jarring, that doesn't justify peeling off pieces of the dashboard and pulling plastic paneling off the center console. The comments seemed in favor of The Middle Lane, however, accusing Jeep of "theft" for the high cost of its latest model. Others in the comments said Stellantis should be ashamed. Another comment, however, noted: "Totally inappropriate to be disassembling and prying at a vehicle that's not yours. In many instances, these are one-off examples. If someone breaks a part, it could be impossible to replace it before that auto show is over."
Simply put by another TikTok user: "How to get banned from a convention speed run."
Jeep Fires Back at 'Destructive and Unprofessional' Stunt
Stellantis, Jeep's parent company, didn't hold back in its response. Spokesperson Kaileen Connelly issued a statement calling the influencers' actions both destructive and unprofessional, while emphasizing a crucial detail the video conveniently omitted: the vehicle on display was a hand-assembled preproduction prototype, not a finished consumer model.
"The actions taken to disassemble the all-new Jeep Recon on display at the LA Auto Show were both destructive and unprofessional," spokesperson Kaileen Connelly said in an emailed statement to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.
According to the company, these early show cars are built specifically for reveals and events to showcase design direction, not to represent the durability or quality standards of the final product hitting dealerships in 2026. Think of it as judging a movie based on early test footage rather than the theatrical release. The automaker made clear that preproduction models are constructed entirely differently from the production-line vehicles customers will eventually purchase.
The video has since vanished from YouTube and Instagram, though it was still available on TikTok as of late Tuesday. The Middle Lane was founded by Luke Miani, who also produces tech content under his own name, but he hasn't commented on the controversy or the subsequent deletion of the footage.
What started as clickbait content appears to have backfired spectacularly, leaving Jeep to defend its upcoming electric vehicle and clarify the difference between a prototype and a production-ready automobile.
