Carmaker Stellantis announced it was recalling over 150,000 plug-in hybrid Jeeps Monday due to a potential fire risk.
An internal investigation led by the auto giant found 13 of its Jeep plug-in hybrid SUVs had caught fire while parked and turned off, with the company estimating 5% — roughly 7,500 — of the recalled vehicles might have the defect, according to a press release. Stellantis is one of an array of automakers to take on aggressive electric vehicle (EV) production targets in recent years as the Biden-Harris administration continues its hybrid and EV push, even as lithium-ion batteries have shown a propensity to burst into flames.
“A remedy is imminent and affected customers will be notified when they may schedule service,” Stellantis wrote in the release. Until then, the carmaker advised customers to “park away from structures or other vehicles,” and not to charge their cars as “vehicle risk is reduced when the battery charge level is depleted.”
Stellantis presented its “Dare Forward 2030” plan in March 2022, stating its aim to have 100% of its sales in Europe and 50% of its U.S. sales be battery-electric vehicles by the end of the decade. Amid the strategy shift, the company revealed plans to lay off 2,450 employees in August as it discontinues the “classic” version of its Ram-1500 truck in favor of an electrified pickup.
A slew of lithium-ion battery fires have occurred in recent years, with the fires causing at least 20 total deaths and more than 300 total injuries in New York City and San Francisco since 2019. Meanwhile, a shipping container filled with 15,000 kilograms of lithium-ion batteries caught fire on Sep. 23, causing toxic fumes to waft over Montreal, Canada, with roughly 100 people being evacuated.
Despite the fire risks, the Biden-Harris administration has plowed forward with its EV push, shelling out billions in subsidies to automakers and effectively requiring 67% of all light-duty vehicles sold after model year 2032 be EVs or hybrids.
When reached for comment Stellantis referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to its Monday press release.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Stellantis)
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