Stellantis Withdraws 375,000 PHEV Jeeps Worldwide Due To Battery Fire Risk, Samsung Dragged

JAKARTA The automotive giant Stellantis on Tuesday announced the recall of 375,000 units of Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid SUVs worldwide. This decision was taken following reports of battery fire incidents.

The company urges vehicle owners to park their cars outdoors until repairs are complete.

Reuters reported, quoted on Wednesday, November 5, the affected model stated that part of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe SUV was issued from 2020 to 2025 and Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe was issued from 2022 to 2026.

Previously, Stellantis had received reports of 19 cases of fire and one injury related to this battery problem.

Stellantis stated that repair solutions will be available soon. However, until the time the repairs are made, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the company advises owners to park away from buildings or structures and refrain from charging vehicles due to fire risks. The total to be drawn in the United States itself is with a maximum of 320,000 units.

The recall also includes vehicles previously repaired in 2023 and 2024 withdrawals, which now require re-improvement.

Battery And Cause Of Problem

The problematic batteries in this vehicle are produced by Samsung SDI (006400.KS).

A joint investigation by Stellantis and Samsung SDI concluded that the most likely cause of this problem was the damage to the separator damage combined with other complex interactions inside the battery cells.

Stellantis reported nine fires occurred in batteries that had received software updates in the 2024 withdrawal, and another 10 fires occurred in batteries beyond the coverage of the recall.

Samsung SDI has not yet given an immediate response regarding a request for comment on this matter.