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NHTSA Closes the Jeep Fire Probe, but 1.08 Million Vehicles Still Need Recall Repairs

Hope @ProStreet
Technician inspecting a gray Jeep Wrangler’s power-steering pump wiring beside a red Gladiator during recall repairs.

Recall 26V363 covers nearly 1.08 million Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators whose power-steering pump connection may overheat and cause a fire, even while parked.

NHTSA has closed its investigation into underhood fires involving Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators. That does not cancel the recall, remove the fire risk from an unrepaired vehicle or end the government’s park-outside guidance.

The investigation closed because FCA’s existing recall covers the vehicles and defect NHTSA was examining.

Recall 26V363, also identified by FCA as campaign 21D, includes 1,076,999 model-year 2021–2025 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles. A high-resistance electrical connection at the electric-hydraulic power-steering pump can overheat and potentially ignite nearby material—even when the ignition is switched off.

Owners should continue parking affected vehicles outside and away from buildings and other vehicles until the recall repair has been completed.

Government paperwork may close an investigation. It remains poorly suited to extinguishing an engine compartment.

Jeep fire recall quick facts

Recall detailInformation
NHTSA campaign26V363
FCA campaign21D
Affected vehicles2021–2025 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator
U.S. recall population1,076,999 vehicles
InvestigationPE24-024
Suspect componentElectric-hydraulic power-steering pump connection
Primary riskElectrical overheating and vehicle fire
Can it happen while parked?Yes
Possible warningsLoss of steering assist or Service Power Steering message
Owner guidancePark outside and away from structures until repaired
Repair costFree
Repair typeInspection with repair or replacement as necessary
Investigation statusClosed; recall remains active

Why did NHTSA close the Jeep investigation?

NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE24-024 in September 2024 after receiving reports of engine-compartment fires in Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators.

The original investigation covered approximately 781,459 model-year 2021–2023 vehicles. Several fires reportedly began near the power-steering pump on the passenger side of the engine compartment, including fires occurring when the vehicle was parked with its ignition off.

FCA later issued a broader recall covering model years 2021 through 2025. The expanded population includes the vehicles examined in the investigation and additional Wranglers and Gladiators manufactured during the suspected production period.

NHTSA concluded that recall 26V363 addresses the vehicles and conditions examined by PE24-024. The agency closed the preliminary evaluation on September 24, with the closure reported publicly on September 29.

NHTSA will continue monitoring field performance and says it can take additional action if future circumstances justify it. RoadVitals

That wording is important. The agency did not conclude that the defect never existed. It concluded that a recall now exists to address it.

Closing an investigation does not close the recall

A defect investigation and a safety recall are related, but they are not the same process.

NHTSA opens an investigation to determine whether a potential safety defect exists, how frequently it occurs, which vehicles may be involved and whether additional manufacturer action is needed.

A recall establishes a repair campaign for specific vehicles.

Once the manufacturer launches a recall that covers the investigated defect and vehicle population, NHTSA may close its investigation because the recall provides the corrective path. That does not make unrepaired vehicles safe.

NHTSA states that safety recalls do not expire. Owners can search their VIN through the official NHTSA recall lookup to determine whether campaign 26V363 remains open on their vehicle. NHTSA

Owners can also check through the Mopar recall-information system or contact FCA customer service at 800-853-1403.

If the recall appears open, schedule the repair. If a dealer claims it has already been completed but the VIN still reports an open campaign, ask the dealer to verify the repair history and update the manufacturer’s records.

Do not assume “investigation closed” means “recall completed.” Your Jeep is not monitoring federal press releases and repairing its wiring in response.

Which Jeep vehicles are affected?

The recall covers certain:

Production dates and individual eligibility matter. Matching the model and year is not enough to prove that a specific vehicle is recalled.

Reuters reports that the expanded recall population includes affected vehicles manufactured from June 24, 2020, through December 2, 2024. Reuters

The official recall filing identifies model-specific suspect production periods. Gladiator production with the suspect connection began on August 18, 2020, while other affected production began earlier.

The final answer comes from the VIN. Owners should use NHTSA or Mopar’s lookup tool rather than relying only on a general model-year list.

What causes the Jeep power-steering fire risk?

The defect involves the electrical connection at the electric-hydraulic power-steering pump, abbreviated EHPSP in the recall documents.

Traditional hydraulic power steering uses a pump driven mechanically by the engine. Electric power steering uses an electric motor acting directly on the steering mechanism.

An electric-hydraulic system sits between those designs. It still uses hydraulic pressure to provide steering assistance, but an electric motor drives the hydraulic pump instead of an accessory belt connected to the engine.

That arrangement allows the pump to operate according to steering demand rather than engine speed. It can reduce parasitic load and provide assistance even when the engine’s operating state changes.

It also requires a substantial electrical supply.

A high-current electric motor needs connectors, terminals and wiring capable of carrying significant current without excessive resistance. When the connection is tight, clean and properly sized, current passes through with controlled heat generation.

When resistance rises, electrical energy turns into localized heat.

That is the basic relationship:\[ P = I^2R \]

Here:

Because current is squared, a modest increase in resistance at a high-current connection can produce a large increase in heat.

A loose or partially seated connector therefore creates more than an intermittent electrical problem. It can behave like a small heating element installed beside plastic, wiring insulation and other combustible material.

How the connector became vulnerable

FCA’s recall filing provides considerably more detail than the phrase “wiring problem.”

The manufacturer found that the power-steering pump header could be manufactured outside its specified tolerances. That condition could increase the force required to install the electrical connector.

Excessive insertion force can contribute to:

FCA says it spent more than a year investigating the failure. The work reportedly included vehicle buybacks, returned-part analysis, CT scans, X-rays, material analysis, vehicle testing and bench testing.

The company confirmed in April 2026 that a loose electrical connection could melt and ultimately cause a vehicle fire. static.nhtsa.gov

This is why merely clearing a steering code is not a repair. The dashboard warning is an electronic symptom; the recall addresses the physical connection capable of producing the symptom—and considerably more heat than the instrument panel can display.

Can the Jeep catch fire while turned off?

Yes. That is why NHTSA issued a park-outside warning.

The defect can create a fire risk when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off. Owners should keep affected vehicles outside and away from buildings or other vehicles until a dealer completes the recall remedy.

NHTSA reported 51 fires and one injury likely associated with the issue when it issued its June consumer alert. FCA’s broader global reporting included 72 field reports potentially related to the condition, with 35 confirmed as originating at the power-steering-pump interface as of May 18, 2026. static.nhtsa.gov

Those numbers describe different reporting categories and should not be combined as though they represent separate confirmed fires.

The practical guidance remains the same:

Opening a hood can introduce oxygen and expose the person standing over it to flames, hot gases or damaged electrical components. A recalled Jeep is still a vehicle, not an invitation to perform live electrical diagnosis beside a growing fire.

What warning signs can appear?

The official recall filing says some customers may experience:

Additional warning signs that justify stopping and investigating can include:

A lack of warning does not prove the vehicle is unaffected. The recall concerns the potential for overheating, and parked-vehicle fires may provide little useful notice to an owner who is no longer inside the vehicle.

If steering assistance disappears while driving, maintain control, reduce speed smoothly and move to a safe location. The steering mechanism may still function mechanically, but the wheel can become much harder to turn—particularly at low speed.

Do not continue normal driving simply because greater effort still changes direction. A loss of assist combined with an open fire-risk recall deserves a tow and proper inspection.

What is the recall repair?

FCA’s remedy is to inspect affected vehicles and repair or replace affected parts as necessary.

Depending on the inspection findings, the repair may involve work on:

The repair is performed without charge to the owner.

The campaign’s recall remedy became available in July 2026. Owners who previously checked and were told to wait should run the VIN again or contact a Jeep dealer.

Owners should receive documentation when the repair is completed. Keep that paperwork with the vehicle’s service records, especially if the Jeep is later sold.

Should owners inspect the connector themselves?

A visual inspection may reveal obvious melting or heat damage, but owners should not treat a driveway inspection as a substitute for the recall procedure.

The connection carries substantial current and may require disassembly, terminal inspection and manufacturer-specific repair criteria. Damage can also exist inside a connector without producing an obvious exterior problem.

Do not disconnect or disturb the suspect connection unless you have the correct service information, safety procedures and tools.

Owners should especially avoid:

A high-current electrical connection must have correct terminal tension, contact area, alignment and retention. “It seems tight now” is not an accepted engineering measurement, however confidently it is delivered from beneath the hood.

For a broader explanation of how technicians approach wiring and connector faults, our P0195 diagnostic guide covers continuity checks, connector inspection and circuit testing. The Jeep recall, however, must be handled according to FCA’s campaign procedure.

This recall is different from Jeep’s TPMS campaign

Jeep has several active recalls, and campaign numbers should not be mixed together.

The power-steering fire recall is:

The newer tire-pressure-monitoring recall is:

Our complete Jeep TPMS recall guide explains that separate software campaign.

One Jeep can theoretically have more than one open recall. Search by VIN rather than stopping after finding the first matching headline.

What owners should do now

Owners of a 2021–2025 Wrangler or Gladiator should:

  1. Find the 17-character VIN on the dashboard, registration or driver-door label.
  2. Enter it at NHTSA.gov/Recalls.
  3. Confirm whether campaign 26V363 remains open.
  4. Check the vehicle through Mopar’s recall lookup.
  5. Contact an authorized Jeep dealer to schedule the free repair.
  6. Continue parking outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed.
  7. Retain the repair invoice or recall-completion record.
  8. Recheck the VIN if the campaign still appears open after service.

If a vehicle was recently purchased used, do not assume the previous owner completed the repair. Recall notices do not always follow a vehicle through every address change, private sale or dealership inventory transfer.

The VIN record matters more than the glovebox’s archaeological collection of expired insurance cards.

Final verdict

NHTSA closed PE24-024 because FCA recall 26V363 covers the vehicles and underhood-fire condition under investigation.

That is meaningful regulatory progress, but it does not change the responsibility of an owner with an unrepaired Jeep.

The defect involves a high-current connection at the electric-hydraulic power-steering pump. Excess resistance can create enough heat to melt the connection and ignite nearby material, including while the Jeep is parked with its ignition off.

Owners should check their VIN, follow the park-outside guidance and arrange the free repair.

The investigation is closed. The recall is not—and neither is an electrical circuit simply because nobody is currently holding the key.

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