US Authorities Ban Jeep Wrangler PHEV And Grand Cherokee PHEV Parking Inside The Building, What's Up?

Jeepria Wrangler 4xe PHEV is one of the best-selling models in America and has expanded its ranks with new Willy's 4xe. (Doc. Stellantis)

JAKARTA On Sunday, September 30, Stellantis as the parent company Jeep announced a recall of 194,000 Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid (PHEV) units worldwide, including 154,000 units in the United States (US), 14,000 in Canada, 700 in Mexico, and nearly 26,000 outside North America.

This withdrawal step was taken following reports of 13 fires involving these vehicles.

Launching Reuters, October 2, it was stated that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), owners of 154,000 Jeep plug-in hybrid SUVs were advised to park their vehicles outdoors and away from buildings or other vehicles until the recall repairs were completed.

NHTSA stated that two injuries have been reported so far that may be linked to the recall problem.

Affected vehicles are those produced with high-voltage batteries that can experience internal failure. Stellantis said that the batteries were produced by Samsung SDI.

Previously, Stellantis had also recalled 32,000 Jeep Wrangler PHEV in 2023 for software updates. At that time, Stellantis revealed that several vehicles experienced fires in the summer of 2024 despite having received a software recall in 2023.

Stellantis stated that the 2023 recall repair turned out to be ineffective in detecting certain abnormalities in the battery that could cause the fire.

The latest recall fix offered by Stellantis includes software updates followed by battery replacement if needed. The company will notify vehicle owners in mid-October.

Stellantis also said that the risk of vehicles is reduced when the battery charging rate runs out and advised owners not to recharge. The company confirmed that repair solutions are in process.

This new recall includes several models of Jeep Wrangler from 2020 to 2024 and Jeep Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid from 2022 to 2024.

The Chrysler parent company stated that the fire broke out when the vehicle was parked and turned off. It is estimated that about 5 percent of the affected vehicles have the defect.