The encyclopedia · Engineering & Operations · Technical decision · 2025
No software fix for a battery that burns — 320,000 Jeeps parked outside
Chrysler recalled 320,065 plug-in hybrid Jeeps after damaged battery cells caused 19 fires, nine in vehicles that already got the software fix.
Chrysler · Stellantis · Jeep · 2025-11-04
What happened
On 4 November 2025 Chrysler recalled 320,065 U.S.-market plug-in hybrids — 228,221 Jeep Wrangler 4xees and 91,844 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xees — after finding that high-voltage battery cells could carry separator damage that leads to a vehicle fire while parked or driving.
The affected models are 2020-2025 Wrangler 4xe and 2022-2026 Grand Cherokee 4xe vehicles. Chrysler told owners to park outside and away from structures and not to charge unrepaired vehicles, because the risk of fire rises when the battery is charged.
The recall grew out of an earlier one, 24V720, whose remedy software proved ineffective: Chrysler was aware of 19 battery-pack fires, including nine in vehicles that had already received that software remedy. The company said it knew of one injury potentially related to the defect.
A new remedy was not yet available when the recall was announced, and owner notification by mail was scheduled to begin on 2 December 2025.
Why it happened
- Chrysler's first fix was a software remedy, 24V720, that tried to detect battery abnormalities — but it missed the failures, and nine of the fires happened in vehicles that already received it.
- The underlying cause, separator damage inside the battery cells, is physical, and a software patch could not repair it. The design could not guarantee damaged cells would not keep operating.
- Because a new remedy was not ready, the company asked hundreds of thousands of owners to park their plug-in hybrids outside and stop charging them — a defect that became a fire hazard.
The lesson
A software remedy cannot fix a physical defect. When battery cells can fail and ignite, only a physical fix works — a remedy that still lets fires happen becomes the second scandal.
Aftermath
Chrysler expanded its earlier 24V720 recall into 25V741, advised owners to park outside and not charge, and worked to develop a replacement remedy while NHTSA publicised the risk. The recall reopened questions about Stellantis's battery safety practices across its plug-in lineup.
Sources
- NHTSA — Consumer Alert: Expanded Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler PHEVs 'Park Outside' Recall for Fire Risk
- NHTSA Recall Report — 25V741 (Jeep high-voltage battery fire)
- Reuters (via Yahoo Finance) — Stellantis recalls 375,000 Jeep SUVs over fire risks, urges owners to park outdoors
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