NHTSA – Consumer Alert for Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Fires

NHTSA once again has issued a consumer alert about charging and fire problems with EVs. This morning NHTSA said that Chrysler, now part of Stellantis, recommends that owners of Model Year 2017-2018 Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles park their vans outside and away from homes, even if the vehicle is turned off, until their vehicles have been repaired, due to the risk of fire. Owners should also not charge their vehicles. They should continue to park outside and refrain from charging until a remedy is identified. The root cause is unknown.

The potentially affected van production began on August 12, 2016, when production of Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs began, and ended on August 7, 2018, when 2018 MY production ended. The suspect population was determined using vehicle manufacturing records. Similar vehicles not included in this recall are not PHEVs or were built after the suspect vehicle production period.

Chronology

• On August 31, 2021, the FCA US Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization opened an investigation as a result of detecting a potential trend in fires in certain Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs.
• From September 2021 to January 2022, FCA US repurchased two vehicles for origin and cause investigation. The cause of these fires is under investigation.
• As of February 4, 2022, FCA US is aware of ten additional fires. The cause of these fires is under investigation.
• As of February 4, 2022, FCA US has identified five customer records, zero warranty claims, and 12 field reports potentially relating to this issue for all markets with dates of receipt ranging from April 23, 2019, to December 14, 2021.
• As of February 4, 2022, FCA US is not aware of any accidents or injuries potentially relating to this issue for all markets.
• On February 6, 2022, FCA US determined, through the Vehicle Regulations Committee, to conduct a voluntary safety recall of the affected vehicles.

NHTSA “encourages” all consumers to report any safety concerns to the agency online or by calling the Vehicle Safety Hotline (Toll-Free: 1-888-327-4236 / Hearing Impaired (TTY): 1-800-424-9153).