3.2 Million Vehicles Face Park-Outside Fire Recalls as Battery Fixes Lag
Updated
Updated · gadgetreview.com · Aug 17
3.2 Million Vehicles Face Park-Outside Fire Recalls as Battery Fixes Lag
2 articles · Updated · gadgetreview.com · Aug 17
Summary
Carfax estimates 3.2 million U.S. vehicles still carry outstanding “park outside” recalls, meaning they can ignite while parked, switched off and not charging.
320,065 Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrids were recalled after damaged separator cells in high-voltage battery packs were found capable of causing fires while parked or driven.
NHTSA’s June 2026 alert covered about 1 million Jeeps, and a July alert added 462,869 Kia Tellurides; owners were told to park away from structures and avoid charging.
No repair was available when the notices were issued, leaving owners in a holding pattern until dealers can update battery-control software and inspect or replace packs if needed.
The growing use of batteries and electronics has made “key-off” fires a documented risk, pushing NHTSA to create the category in 2015 and add prominent warning boxes in 2022.