JEEP 2024 Wrangler 4XE HYBRID EXPLODED VIN# [XXX] On [XXX], just before [XXX], our 2024 hybrid vehicle began emitting smoke while parked in our attached garage. Thankfully, our smoke alarm alerted us - my wife discovered it was coming from the garage and immediately called 911. Police arrived within minutes and were able to push the car out of the garage. Shortly after that, the vehicle caught fire. First responders later told us that if my wife had not acted quickly, the fire could have easily spread to our home—potentially resulting in a total loss, or worse, endangering our lives if it had happened while we were asleep. It took four hours of continuous firefighting to manage the flames. The Hazmat team explained that this was due to “thermal runaway”, a dangerous chain reaction in lithium-ion batteries where heat builds uncontrollably, leading to fire or even explosions. These types of fires can’t be extinguished conventionally—they must burn out once the chemical reaction is complete. Some Important Context: This vehicle is the same year, make, and model as those recently recalled for hybrid battery fire risks. However, our VIN was not included in the recall—something we now believe may have been an oversight, as the circumstances appear nearly identical. Back in June, the car had another serious issue: it shut down completely despite a full gas tank and a 50% EV charge. It had to be towed to the dealership, and was returned to us a day or 2 later, marked as “repaired.” After the fire - I reviewed the service paperwork, we found that the specific error code pointed to unstable hybrid battery voltage—a potential sign of a failing battery pack. According to documentation on that error code POB24, complete replacement of the hybrid battery is considered the only safe fix. That repair was never performed—and worse, we were never informed of the severity of the issue. This negligence should be addressed as it almost killed us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI 11690069