Jeep Wrangler, Gladiator Under Federal Probe After Strange Fires
Every Mopar fanatic's favorite off-roaders, the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator lineup, have become the subject of a federal investigation due to the potential for unexplained fires to erupt when the vehicles are off, according to filings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
More than 781,000 2021–2023 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators are included in the federal probe, which was spurred on by numerous reports of underhood fires. Specifically, NHTSA says that it has received nine reports of fires, one injury report, and one linked death as a result of these engine-born blazes. Documents from NHTSA state that the fires can be ignited even when the ignition of the vehicle is off.
Preliminary information states that the federal watchdog agency believes the fires stem from a power steering pump electrical connector, with the suspicion arising due to the fact that the majority of the fires have been centered in that front-passenger area of the engine bay.
These fires aren't happening after strenuous events like miles and miles of off-roading, either. According to reports filed with NHTSA, many of the reported fires happened shortly after the vehicles were purchased. One fire, in particular, started 10 minutes after the 2021 model year Wrangler left the lot, while another sparked when the vehicle had a mere 1900 miles on it. Another owner said that their 2022 Gladiator randomly caught fire after being parked for two weeks, according to Reuters.
The NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation has officially opened a preliminary investigation into this matter, and Stellantis says it is cooperating with the federal agency. It's worth noting that this probe is not an official recall, but rather, the first step in identifying a defect and then potentially issuing a recall.
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