Jeep’s electrical nightmare: 320,000 vehicles at risk from spontaneous combustion

Jeep has issued a massive recall for certain Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid models due to the risk of their battery packs catching fire while parked or driving. The company is advising all owners affected by the recall to park their Jeeps outside and away from any structures until they are repaired. They should also refrain from charging their vehicles as the risk of fire is greater with a fully charged battery.

The recall affects 228,221 model year 2020-2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe models and 91,844 model year 2022-2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe models. The total number of vehicles recalled now stands at 320,065. Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, is aware of 19 fires that have occurred to date, and unfortunately one person has been injured as a result of the defect.

What’s going on if this Jeep catches fire?

Jeep was aware of the risk that its PHEV batteries could catch fire had already issued one recall to address the problem by September 2024. The solution was an update to the high-voltage battery software that was applied free of charge by dealers. Apparently the software patch didn’t work, as nine of the 19 fires reported in this most recent recall occurred in vehicles that had already received it.

Stellantis says the problem starts with the cells in the battery packs, some of which have “separator damage.” Lithium is flammable in air, so if a battery cell becomes damaged to the extent that its contents are exposed to the air, fire is the usual outcome. We’ve all seen videos of batteries in laptops and cell phones spontaneously igniting – the same thing is happening here.

The bad news for owners of these 4xe models is that there is no fix yet. Because a software solution has already been tried and failed, Stellantis may have to pay for the replacement of any battery pack that may have been affected, which would be a huge expense.

General Motors experienced something similar when it had to replace the battery packs of every model year 2017-2022 Chevrolet Bolt and all model year 2022 Bolt EUVs due to fire hazards. Like Stellantis, the automaker first tried a software update, but ultimately had to pay to replace tens of thousands of battery packs with new ones. That generation of the Bolt was discontinued shortly afterwards.

TopSpeed’s opinion

This is not good. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the best-selling plug-in hybrid car in the US, and the Grand Cherokee 4xe isn’t far behind. Owners love the extra performance of the PHEV powertrain and the fuel savings are significant, especially when you can charge every night and take advantage of the 21-mile all-electric range the next day.

Stellantis, meanwhile, has retreated from electrification since CEO Carlos Tavares stepped down in December 2024. A costly recall involving battery replacements is likely to further fuel the automaker’s withdrawal. The upcoming Jeep Gladiator 4xe model has already been canceled and this recall may have been a factor in that decision.

Our hope is that these two 4xe models from Jeep don’t suffer the same fate and are canceled because of what they cost the company. This issue aside, they have been a shining example of how a PHEV powertrain can quietly improve every aspect of an already great car’s performance.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration