The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation into approximately 781,459 vehicles from Stellantis NV STLA over potential underhood fire risks.
What Happened: According to the NHTSA report released on Monday, the probe is centered around incidents of fire occurring when the vehicle’s ignition was in an ‘OFF’ state. This development follows the NHTSA’s recall notification for 1,227,808 Ram 1500 vehicles from 2019, and 2021-2024, in the U.S. These vehicles, produced by Chrysler‘s parent company Stellantis, were recalled due to a software malfunction.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received multiple reports, including nine Vehicle Owner’s Questionnaire (VOQ) reports, one Death and Injury report, and several field reports, alleging incidents of engine compartment fires in model year (MY) 2021-2023 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles. The majority of these reports describe a fire originating at the passenger front side of the engine compartment while the ignition was off.
The ODI has been in contact with the vehicle manufacturer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and has learned of several thermal events originating at the power steering pump electrical connector in recent model year Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles. This location coincides with the majority of fire reports known to ODI.
The preliminary evaluation (PE) has been opened by the ODI to assess the cause, scope, and frequency of the alleged defect.
Why It Matters: This isn’t the first time Stellantis has faced safety issues with its vehicles. Earlier in July, the automaker had to recall over 341,000 vehicles due to concerns about a seat belt buckle switch sensor that could prevent the front seat airbag from deploying. Later in the same month, Stellantis had to recall nearly 20,000 Pacifica PHEVs over risks of battery fires.
Price Action: At the time of writing, Stellantis was trading 0.32% higher in the pre-market on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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