In recent days, we reported the news of the recall in the United States of about 24,000 units of Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrids due to fire risk. The Stellantis group has asked its customers in the United States not to charge the recalled vehicles until they bring them to the workshop for necessary repairs. In fact, it is precisely while charging the car that there is a risk of fire.
Stellantis warns customers: “Do not charge your plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica”
At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be any risk when driving the vehicle, with the manufacturer currently not preventing owners of these cars from driving on the road simply using the combustion engine. The investigation was initiated after Stellantis detected seven fire incidents among the affected vehicles, predominantly in North America. The cause has been identified as a rare anomaly in individual cells of some batteries, which can catch fire during charging or when the vehicle is turned off. However, the risk decreases significantly when the batteries are discharged.
Technicians from the American brand of the automotive group are developing a software update capable of detecting these anomalies and flagging vehicles that need replacement intervention. This intervention will be carried out free of charge at Chrysler brand service centers in the United States. We will see what new developments there will be regarding this recall in the coming days and if the problem will finally be resolved with customers being able to return to charging their plug-in hybrid vehicles.