DETROIT — Stellantis is telling owners of nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide to park them outdoors and away from other vehicles because the power liftgates can catch fire even when the engines are off.
the company is remembering certain Cherokees 2014 thru 2016 model years. Water may enter the liftgate control computer, causing an electrical short that may result in a fire.
The company says it hasn’t developed a fix yet. Owners will receive notification letters beginning June 30. Stellantis says the problem was discovered in a routine review of customer data.
It is unclear how many of the small SUVs have caught fire. Stellantis says in documents released Tuesday by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has 50 customer support records, 23 warranty claims and 21 field reports due to the problem. The company says it is not aware of any injuries.
Power liftgates can stop working before SUVs catch fire.
Stellantis recalled many of the same vehicles in 2015 to fix a similar issue.