Chrysler Tells Pacifica Plug In Hybrid Owners to Park Outside Over Battery Fire Risk

Chrysler is telling owners of about 17,277 Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivans to stop charging them and park them outside, away from houses and other vehicles, because the high-voltage battery can catch fire even when the van is switched off and sitting in the driveway. The recall covers the plug-in hybrid version of America’s best-selling minivan, and the warning is blunt for a reason: a battery fire in an attached garage can spread to a home within minutes.

The recall, filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as campaign 26V362, reaches Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles built between August 5, 2020, and May 2, 2022. Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, began mailing owner notification letters on June 23, 2026, but owners do not need to wait for a letter to act. The park-outside and do-not-charge guidance applies the moment you learn your van is on the list.

If you own one of these minivans, this is a story worth five minutes of your time today. Below is what is failing inside the battery, the exact steps Chrysler wants owners to take, how to confirm whether your van is affected, and what the company is offering to make it right.

What Is Going Wrong Inside the Battery

The problem sits in the Pacifica’s high-voltage battery pack, the large lithium-ion unit that gives the plug-in hybrid roughly 32 miles of electric-only range before the gas engine takes over. Chrysler says some of these packs were built with individual cells that can fail internally. When a cell breaks down that way, it can overheat and trigger thermal runaway, a chain reaction in which one failing cell heats its neighbors until the pack ignites.

The dangerous part for owners is that the failure does not need the van to be running, moving, or even charging. It can happen while the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off. That is why the guidance is to keep the minivan outdoors and clear of structures rather than simply avoiding long drives. A fire that starts in a closed garage overnight is far more destructive than one a driver can see and react to on the road.

Chrysler reported to safety regulators that it was aware of three customer assistance records and four field reports connected to the defect at the time of the filing. It said it knew of no crashes, injuries, or deaths tied to the problem. Catching a fire risk before it produces casualties is the entire point of a park-outside recall, which is among the most urgent categories the agency uses.

What Chrysler Wants Owners to Do Right Now

There are two immediate instructions. First, stop charging the vehicle. Plugging in stresses the battery pack and is the condition most likely to push a marginal cell toward failure, so owners should leave the charge cable unplugged until the repair is done. The Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid will still run as a conventional hybrid on its gas engine, so the van remains drivable without charging.

Second, park outside and away from buildings and other vehicles. Do not park in an attached garage, under a carport next to the house, or in a tight driveway crowded with other cars. Leave space so that if the worst happens, a fire cannot jump to a structure or a second vehicle. Treat this the same way you would the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator power-steering fire recall and the other park-outside campaigns that have hit the market this year. The advice is identical because the underlying risk, a fire with the key off, is identical.

To confirm whether your specific minivan is included, enter your 17-character VIN at the NHTSA recalls page at nhtsa.gov/recalls or call the agency’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. You can also reach Chrysler customer service directly at 1-800-853-1403 and reference recall number 52D. Your VIN is printed on the lower driver’s side of the windshield, on your registration, and on your insurance card.

Which Model Years Are Covered and Why It Stops at 2022

The recall is limited to the plug-in hybrid Pacifica from a specific build window, roughly the 2021 and 2022 model years produced between August 2020 and May 2022. The standard gas-only Pacifica is not part of this campaign because it does not carry the high-voltage battery at the center of the defect. Owners of a regular Pacifica have nothing to do here.

There is a reason the affected window closes in 2022. Stellantis has since dropped the plug-in hybrid Pacifica from the lineup, so newer model years do not exist in plug-in form to recall. This is not the first time the plug-in Pacifica has drawn a fire-related recall, either. Chrysler previously warned plug-in owners about fire risk and advised parking outdoors in an earlier campaign, which makes the latest notice a repeat headache for a body of owners who bought the van specifically for its efficiency and low running costs.

The Fix, the Warranty, and What Happens Next

Dealers will update the software in the high-voltage Battery Pack Control Module so it continuously monitors the pack for the conditions that precede a fire. As part of the same visit, technicians will inspect the battery pack assembly and replace it if the inspection or the monitoring system flags a problem. All of this work is free of charge, as recall repairs always are by law, whether or not you are the original owner and whether or not the van is still under its original warranty.

Chrysler is also offering an extended safety net for the people most affected. For customers whose vans display the warning messaging tied to this defect and need a battery replacement, the company is providing a warranty extension covering that battery for unlimited years and unlimited mileage at no cost. That matters because a high-voltage hybrid battery is one of the most expensive components on the vehicle, and an out-of-pocket replacement can run into the thousands.

Until you can get the van into a dealer, keep following the do-not-charge and park-outside guidance every single day. Do not assume that a van which has behaved normally is safe, because the failure can appear without warning. Schedule the recall service as soon as your dealer confirms parts and software are available, and keep your written recall notice with your vehicle records. If you experience any dashboard warning related to the hybrid battery, stop charging immediately and contact Chrysler before the next drive.

Sources:

• NHTSA Recalls Lookup (Campaign 26V362)
• The Detroit News: Chrysler recalls Pacificas for battery fire risk, says to park outside
• InsideEVs: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Recall Over Fire Risk
• CarPro Weekly Recalls Summary