Jeep Owners Face Growing Recall Reality: Park Outside, in Case of Vehicle Fires — WSJ

By Ellie Davis and Ryan Felton

Joe Garza II finally fulfilled a dream in April when he acquired a Jeep Gladiator, a truck he has always wanted. Now, he is dealing with a concerning edict from the company that made it: keep the Jeep parked outside and away from his home, lest it burst into flames, even while turned off.

"The first payment is due in a couple days," said Garza, 42 years old, who lives on 3 1/2 acres of land in Victoria, Texas, and has also dealt with transmission problems with his Jeep. "And I don't want it."

Garza's Gladiator is among one million other Jeeps recalled this week because they might catch fire. The Jeep recall applies to Wranglers and Gladiators manufactured between 2021 and 2025.

It is the latest in a sharp uptick of safety campaigns in recent years by U.S. car companies that include a warning to drivers to park outside.

Since 2020, more than 90 recalls have been issued by automakers for more than 11 million vehicles with such an alert, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the top U.S. auto-safety regulator.

Vehicles from Jeep's parent company Stellantis account for roughly 20% of these cars. They are eclipsed only by a recall campaign earlier this decade by Hyundai Motor over a similar fire risk. General Motors also conducted several rounds of recalls for its electric Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV models over a fire risk.

In the case of the latest Jeep recall, NHTSA said this week that it was aware of 51 fires and one injury that were likely tied to the issue. Stellantis said an internal investigation identified a connection issue in the wiring of the cars' electric hydraulic power steering pump.

In rare cases, the wiring could overheat and cause a fire, even when the vehicle isn't running, the automaker said. In one complaint reported to NHTSA, a California resident said a 2022 Jeep Gladiator went up in flames while parked inside a garage.

Stellantis said it anticipates a solution will be developed by next month.

Last fall, Jeep recalled more than 300,000 plug-in hybrid Wrangler and Grand Cherokee vehicles with a similar park-outside order.

But being ordered to "park away from structures or other vehicles," as the recall notice puts it, is easier said than done.

Finding a parking spot away from other cars at work is impossible, Garza said. At home, when he leaves for work at 4 a.m., the 25-yard walk to where he has been parking his car on the street is pitch black. "I just find that inconvenient out in the country," he said.

Other drivers might struggle with where to park their vehicles in a crowded city, or if they want to park inside a garage on a hot summer day.

"We understand that these measures may be inconvenient in daily life, however they are shared with the same level of care we would have for our own families," a Stellantis spokesman said. "We strongly encourage customers to follow the guidance provided."

Michael Brooks, executive director at the advocacy group Center for Auto Safety, said that, to some extent, the increase in park-outside recalls is an inevitable result of the increase in electronic components in vehicles, many of which operate on a continuous basis, even after the car is parked.

"It's encouraging that we are seeing more manufacturers notifying owners of potentially dangerous conditions prior to the availability of repairs, " Brooks said.

Not all owners share a sense of alarm, however.

Dustin Hemauer, an automotive technician who has worked at a Jeep dealership in Burnsville, Minn., for more than two decades and sees hundreds of the recalled models a year, is ignoring the advice that he should park his two recalled Jeeps away from any structures or vehicles. His 2021 Gladiator and 2022 Wrangler are staying put in his attached garage.

"I'm going to drive my vehicles as I normally would because I'm confident in the fact that Jeep is being overly cautious," he said.

Write to Ellie Davis at [email protected] and Ryan Felton at [email protected]