Stellantis is asking owners of more than 24,000 plug-in hybrid minivans to park outdoors, away from buildings and stop charging the vehicles because of the potential for battery fires.
The company said Thursday that it is recalling certain Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid vehicles from the 2017 through 2021 model years, mostly in North America. Some of the vehicles are being recalled for a second time. All are still drivable.
StellantisThe maker of Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and other brands said its investigation is ongoing, but the company has linked the problem to a rare anomaly in individual battery cells. The risk of fire decreases as the battery is depleted.
A review of warranty data by the company found seven fires in the recalled trucks. All occurred while the vehicles were off, and some while charging, Stellantis said. Four customers reported symptoms of smoke inhalation.
Engineers are still testing a fix, which includes a software update designed to detect battery abnormalities. If a problem is found, dealers will replace the high-voltage battery at no charge to owners.
Owners will be notified by mail when to bring their minivans in for service. After July 24, they can go to recalls.mopar.com or checktoprotect.org and enter their vehicle identification number to see if their vehicle is included in the recall. Later models have improved manufacturing processes and are not subject to the recall, the company said.
The recall comes six months after U.S. safety regulators began investigating a recall of nearly 17,000 trucks in 2022. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents that it will review the effectiveness of the recall and try to understand what caused the battery fires.
