Stellantis recalls over 19,000 plug-in hybrid minivans

Stellantis Corporation, the parent company of Chrysler, is recalling 19,808 plug-in hybrid minivans with mode years of 2017 and 2018. The recall was issued after the discovery of 12 fire incidents related to the said vehicle model.

As per Reuters, Stellantis is urging owners of the 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles to stop recharging their units. The incidents of fire were said to have happened to parked vehicles.

It was reported the vehicles that caught fire were all parked, and their engines were turned off. Out of the 12 cases, eight of them were connected to chargers when they ignited. As of this time, Stellantis is not aware of any injuries or accidents related to the recall.

As a precaution, Stellantis told owners to avoid recharging their plug-in hybrid minivans and choose a parking space that is far from structures and other vehicles. At any rate, Stellantis issued the recall for the minivans so it could resolve the defect and eliminate the fire risk as soon as possible.

Currently, the company is working to determine what is causing the fires. Since the issue is connected to charging, owners can continue using their units using the internal combustion engine.

As stated by Stellantis in a press release, "Stellantis is working to confirm the cause of the fires. The remedy, when developed, will be provided free of charge, and affected customers will be advised when they may schedule service."

The recall affects Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans in three regions, and these are 16,741 in the United States, 2,317 in Canada, and 750 outside North America. The Amsterdam, Netherlands, headquartered automotive company said it will be reaching out to the owners, and recall notifications are set to be sent out via mail next month.

The flaw was detected after Stellantis carried out a routine company review of customers' data, and the results prompted an internal investigation. This led to the discovery of 12 fire incidents on the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans.

Meanwhile, Detroit Free Press noted that Stellantis, which owns the Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, voluntarily issued the recall. The company also clarified that aside from the 2017 and 2018 models, the other Pacifica models are not affected.