Sept 29 (Reuters) – The US auto safety regulator said on Tuesday it had closed its preliminary evaluation of more than 1 million Stellantis Jeep vehicles following reports of underhood fires while the vehicles were parked and the ignition was off.
In September 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into about 781,500 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and Gladiator trucks after receiving reports of fires in parked vehicles.
Several of the reported fires appeared to have originated near the power steering pump, the agency said.
To address the problem, Chrysler recalled nearly 1.08 vehicles in June, expanding beyond the original probe to cover all 2021-2025 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators manufactured between June 24, 2020, and December 2, 2024.
NHTSA said the recall addressed the vehicles and conditions examined in the probe. The agency will continue to monitor field performance and could take additional action if warranted.
(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
