NHTSA Tells 1 Million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Owners to Park Outside Now

More than one million Jeep owners across the United States have been told to park their vehicles outside, away from buildings and other cars, until a fire risk hidden in the power steering wiring can be repaired. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the consumer alert on June 9, and it applies to 1,076,999 Jeep Gladiator pickups and Jeep Wrangler SUVs from the 2021 through 2025 model years.

The reason for the unusual warning is that the fire can start even when the vehicle is switched off and the key is nowhere near it. A Wrangler parked in an attached garage overnight is exactly the scenario safety regulators want owners to avoid until the fix is in place.

Owner notification letters will not reach mailboxes until July 9, but affected vehicle identification numbers became searchable on the federal recall database on June 11. That means you can find out today whether your Jeep is included rather than waiting a month for the letter.

What Is Being Recalled and Why

The recall, filed with NHTSA under campaign number 26V363000, covers Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler vehicles built for the 2021 to 2025 model years. According to the defect notice, the electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring may have a faulty electrical connection. Over time that connection can overheat, and the heat can ignite combustible materials nearby.

Stellantis brand FCA US, the manufacturer behind Jeep, says the condition can occur with the ignition on or off. That detail is what separates this recall from the hundreds of routine campaigns filed every year. A fault that needs the engine running gives the driver a chance to spot smoke or smell burning. A fault that can ignite hours after the vehicle is parked gives no warning at all, which is why the company and NHTSA are both telling owners to keep the vehicles outdoors.

The Gladiator and Wrangler are two of the most popular off road vehicles in America. The Wrangler alone has sold between 150,000 and 200,000 units in most recent years, so the recall population spans suburban commuters, rural owners and the large enthusiast community that modifies these vehicles for trail use.

The Fire Reports That Triggered the Investigation

This recall did not come out of nowhere. NHTSA opened investigation PE24024 after receiving multiple reports of fires in parked Jeeps. By the time the recall was announced, the agency said it was aware of 51 fires and one injury likely linked to the power steering pump wiring fault.

Federal defect investigations often run for a year or more while engineers compare warranty claims, field reports and insurance data. The preliminary evaluation into these vehicles examined fire reports where owners described flames starting near the front of the vehicle while it sat in a driveway or garage. Once the data pointed to the electrical connection in the steering pump circuit, the manufacturer moved to a formal safety recall covering every potentially affected vehicle.

Fifty one fires across more than a million vehicles is a low rate, but vehicle fires are among the most destructive outcomes a defect can produce. A car fire in an attached garage frequently spreads to the home, which is why park outside warnings are treated as urgent consumer alerts rather than routine paperwork.

How to Check If Your Jeep Is Affected

Checking takes about two minutes and costs nothing. Find your 17 character vehicle identification number, which is printed on the driver side dashboard near the windshield, on the driver door jamb sticker, and on your registration and insurance documents.

Then use any of these official channels:

• Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, where affected vehicles for this campaign became searchable on June 11
• Call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236
• Check recalls.mopar.com or call FCA customer service at 800-853-1403
• Download the free NHTSA SaferCar app, which sends an alert if your saved vehicle is added to any future recall

If your vehicle comes back as included, follow the park outside guidance immediately. Park in the open, away from structures, fences, other vehicles and anything flammable. Owners who use a home garage should treat that habit as paused until the repair is done.

What Happens Next for Owners

FCA US will mail owner notification letters from July 9. The letters will explain the remedy and tell owners when parts and repair capacity are available at dealers. As with all federal safety recalls, the inspection and repair are free of charge regardless of the vehicle age, mileage or whether you bought it new or used.

A practical complication is that a remedy is not always ready the moment a recall is announced. If the letter tells you the fix is still being finalized, you will receive a second letter when your dealer can book the work. In the meantime the park outside instruction stands. If you experience any symptom that could indicate an electrical fault, such as a burning smell, smoke, or a power steering warning light, stop driving the vehicle and contact a dealer.

Owners who paid out of pocket for repairs related to this fault before the recall was announced may be eligible for reimbursement through the manufacturer. Keep receipts and ask the dealer or FCA customer service about the reimbursement process described in the owner letter.

It is also worth telling your insurer nothing at all. A recall by itself does not affect your premium, and there is no requirement to report it. What you should do is act on it, because an insurer can scrutinize a fire claim more closely if a known recall remedy was ignored for months.

Park Outside Warnings Are Becoming More Common

This is one of the largest park outside recalls since the Hyundai and Kia engine fire campaigns and the Chevrolet Bolt battery recall, both of which saw regulators tell owners to keep vehicles out of garages. The pattern reflects how modern vehicles carry always live electrical circuits that remain energized after shutdown. When a connection in one of those circuits degrades, the failure window extends around the clock.

For owners, the lesson from previous campaigns is simple: respond early. In past park outside recalls, repair queues stretched for months as millions of owners contacted dealers in the same window. Checking your VIN this week and booking the repair as soon as parts arrive puts you at the front of that queue rather than the back.

The used market is affected too. If you are shopping for a 2021 to 2025 Wrangler or Gladiator this summer, run the VIN through the federal recall database before you buy and confirm the repair has been completed. Dealers are barred from selling new vehicles with open recalls, but private sales and some used lots carry no such protection.

Sources:

• https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/urgent-park-outside-warning-issued-1-million-jeeps
• https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
• https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/jeep-wrangler-gladiator-fire-recall.html
• https://www.autoblog.com/news/over-a-million-jeep-wrangler-gladiator-owners-told-to-park-outside-due-to-fire-risk