This new recall follows two earlier campaigns related to Chrysler Pacifica PHEV fires.
Earlier this month, Stellantis submitted a new recall report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a potential fire risk concerning 17,277 examples of the 2020-2022 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. According to what the automaker told safety regulators, the battery pack’s internal cells may fail, resulting in a “thermal runaway” event that could trigger a fire. Affected vehicles were manufactured between August 5, 2020 and May 2, 2022.
If battery fires concerning Chrysler’s Pacifica PHEV (also called the e-Hybrid in earlier years) sounds familiar, there have been two previous recalls related to earlier production units. However, this specific batch included cells “produced on an alternative assembly line at LG Energy Solution (LGES). It determined other vehicles built outside the suspect period, but which may have a similar fire risk recall were built on the primary assembly line (or are gas models, which are not included in any of the recall campaigns).
Stellantis initially responded to a recall query from the NHTSA concerning 2017-2018 Pacifica PHEVs that could catch fire at their high-voltage battery pack. On March 27, 2026, however, the agency expanded that query to cover all plug-in hybrid Pacificas built to-date. The automaker investigated further and determined 2020-2022 models could have a problem as well, and ultimately decided that a safety defect exists in some units.
The company says the occurrence rate is “very low” for battery fires, but did acknowledge four reports of Pacifica PHEVs catching fire. It also analyzed warranty returns, manufacturing history and LG’s manufacturing processes, but has not been able to determine the root cause of the fires. Through mid-May, Stellantis says it has received three customer assistance records and those four field reports. No warranty claims were made for the problem, though owners seem to have no early warnings indicating there’s a problem before the van can potentially catch fire.
The short-term fix is a software update
While Stellantis says it is still investigating the root cause of the battery fires, it is putting a stopgap fix over the coming weeks. After owner notifications go out on June 23, owners will be able to take their Pacifica PHEV to their local dealer to receive the remedy. Dealer technicians will update the Battery Pack Control Module (BPCM) software to monitor operational status for conditions that could lead to a fire in the battery pack assembly.
The technicians will also inspect the battery pack itself and, if necessary, replace it free of charge.
The most important part for impacted Pacifica PHEV owners, though, is what will happen if you get messaging related to the defect to replace the battery. Those customers will get an unlimited years/unlimited mileage warranty extension on their battery packs. That said, the automaker carefully worded that extension to only cover customers who are getting that messaging, so this won’t necessarily apply to every Pacifica PHEV owner as a point of order.
If you have a Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid, you can check whether your vehicle is included in the recall through Mopar’s recall website (recall number 52D) or the NHTSA’s online portal (recall number 26V-362).
