TRENTON -- The New Jersey State Police has sued a major firearms manufacturer, claiming the company gave state troopers defective guns and failed to fix the problem.

The state filed a $2.5 million lawsuit against Sig Sauer alleging the 3,000 guns it purchased from the company frequently jammed, making them "life-threatening" for troopers and virtually "inoperable."

The state Attorney General's Office is claiming breach of contract and other charges in state Superior Court, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by NJ Advance Media. News of the suit was first reported by Law360, a legal news service.

A spokesman for Attorney General Christopher Porrino declined to comment on the suit. A representative from Sig Sauer did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

According to the complaint, filed in April in state Superior Court in Mercer County, the state bought 3,000 Sig Sauer P229s for more than $1.8 million and paid more than $856,000 for various holsters to fit the weapons.

After they received shipments of the weapon in September 2014, troopers conducting follow-up tests found the gun frequently failed to eject spent shell casings after being fired, causing the weapon to jam, according to the complaint.

The complaint said the issue "renders a gun unfit for police use because a trooper may be unable to fire more than one round of ammunition in a life-threatening situation."

State Police claimed the division worked with Sig Sauer to address the problems, making numerous attempts to repair and replace the weapons, according the the complaint.

But after 16 months of trying to address the issues, they switched to a different model of Glock pistols over concerns about trooper safety.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.