Stellantis NV is suing the United Auto Workers to prevent a possible strike stemming from a dispute about promised investments at its U.S. assembly plants.

In his first public comments since Stellantis confirmed it had started searching for his successor, CEO Carlos Tavares signaled he’s open to leaving the automaker just over a year from now.

Stellantis NV’s U.S. sales plunged 20% last quarter as the beleaguered automaker struggled to tame bloated inventories amid high interest rates and softening consumer demand.

This recall is the latest setback for Stellantis, which has been grappling with declining sales, a falling stock price and unrest among dealers and unions.

Stellantis NV Chairman John Elkann has started a search for a successor to CEO Carlos Tavares, whose contract runs out in early 2026.

The United Auto Workers will ask members to greenlight a strike against Stellantis NV, escalating an already tense standoff with one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.

DETROIT — Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis will spend $406 million retooling three Michigan factories so they can build electric vehicles or battery parts.

Stellantis NV said it’s cooperating with U.S. authorities investigating reports of Jeep engines catching fire.

DETROIT — Stellantis is recalling nearly 1.5 million Ram pickup trucks worldwide to fix a software problem that can disable the electronic stability control system.

One sentence in a contract document that runs more than 300 pages is drawing scrutiny as the United Auto Workers warns it could strike Stellantis NV.