You hear a lot about electric vehicle fires but the stark truth is that the vast majority of car fires occur in gas-burners, often because of flammable fluids dripping on hot engine parts. Some reports indicate that gas cars are 4 to 5 times more likely to catch fire.
Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator SUVs from model years 2021 through 2023 are currently being investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which said it has nine reports of fires and one injury in the investigation.
Most reports say the fires occurred while the ignition was off. “The majority of the reports describe a fire occurring while the ignition in the vehicle was in an ‘off’ state with a suspected origin at the passenger front side of the engine compartment,” NHTSA said.
Jeep manufacturer Stellantis said it is cooperating with the preliminary evaluation, the first step before NHTSA could seek to require a recall.
NHTSA said it contacted Stellantis and learned of several fires originating at the power steering pump electrical connector in the Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles. The agency said that part was located at the passenger front side of the engine compartment and coincides with the majority of fire reports.
Fires occurred in new vehicles
Some fires were reported soon after the vehicles were purchased. The owner of a 2021 Jeep Wrangler in Rumson, New Jersey said it started smoking and within 10 minutes burst into flames. The owner told NHTSA “my daughter, dogs and I were able to make it out of the car, but very scary,” according to a Reuters report.