- Harm to the batteries’ separator may top to shorts and/or fires
- Recall campaigns from Stellantis, Ford, and Audi permit alternative of battery packs
- Pristine bureaucracy filed through battery provider Samsung SDI says the problem residue beneath investigation
Plug-in hybrids from more than one automakers were recalled due a possible factor with automobiles’ Samsung SDI-supplied battery cells that would purpose lack of energy or fires. And untouched bureaucracy filed with the government this future means that the problem has now not but been totally resolved.
A complete of 180,196 automobiles are affected within the U.S., together with 155,096 from Stellantis, 20,484 from Ford, and four,616 from Audi. Every automaker, in fresh months, already introduced a person recall for its respective automobiles.
2023 Ford Depart Plug-in Hybrid
Stellantis issued a battery-related recall for the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Jeep Lavish Cherokee 4xe SUVs terminating October. Audi nearest recalled its Q5 and A7 plug-in hybrids in December, and Ford nearest issued a recall for plug-in hybrid variations of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs in January.
All of those automobiles have Samsung SDI cells which can be widely indistinguishable, consistent with paperwork filed with the NHTSA, which emphasizing that specific specs are nonetheless distinctive to every automaker. Every automaker advised the protection company that defects in those cells may top to inner shorten circuits or fires. Ford and Stellantis additionally reported injury within the separator layer between the cathode and anode in some cells, which might top to shorten circuits and fires. Ford and Audi each stated inner research pointed to production defects, and each stated they might set up untouched device as a brief treatment.
2022 Audi Q5 55 TFSI e plug-in hybrid
Those untouched paperwork filed through Samsung SDI don’t enlarge the record of automobiles recalled, however they underscore that the problem lacks a unclouded solution, as of but. In bureaucracy filed February 5, Samsung SDI cries the problem “still under investigation” for each Ford and Audi. A letter from the NHTSA, reacting to the Samsing SDI submitting and dated February 6, asks the battery provider for a “summary of all warranty claims, field or service reports, and other information.”
In a commentary supplied to Inexperienced Automobile Stories Friday, Jeep mum or dad Stellantis underscored that for its automobiles, the problem has been remedied. “The remedy includes a software update and, if necessary, replacement of the high-voltage battery, both provided at no cost to owners,” it said, pointing to notification letters despatched out in December. “Customer safety is our highest priority, and we appreciate the patience of our customers as we worked to resolve this matter and implement a solution for all affected vehicles.”
For now, house owners of affected automobiles can name the respective automakers’ customer support segments for more info. Stellantis may also be reached at 800-853-1403, Audi at 800-253-2834, and Ford at 866-436-7332.
–with reporting through Bengt Halvorson
