Jaguar I-PACE Battery Fires Lead to Recall in the U.S., Canada
You can add the Jaguar I-PACE to the list of electric vehicles that may catch fire due to a problem with the high-voltage battery. Eight separate cases have been reported in the U.S. so far—fortunately with no injuries—and the company will recall 6,367 units.
We don’t know if and how many I-PACEs have suffered a fire in Canada, but 647 units are being recalled on this side of the border.
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According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), all model years (2019-2024) are affected, more specifically vehicles built between June 5, 2018 and May 25, 2023.
Jaguar opened an investigation in February 2022 following the first report of a fire involving its electric luxury crossover. The root cause of the problem has yet to be found, but battery overheating is what started the fires.
The batteries used by Jaguar in the I-PACE come from LG Energy Solution, the same supplier that GM has relied on for the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, which were part of a massive recall two years ago. A pair of design flaws combined to ignite a fire in at least 12 units. The South Korean battery maker latter had to implement new manufacturing processes and work with GM to improve quality control.
As we wait for final analyses by Jaguar, LG and a third-party engineering company hired to identify further risks, the automaker says a clear and definitive solution to the battery fires has yet to be identified.
Owners will be contacted this summer to install new Battery Energy Control Module software in their I-PACE. This will help better monitor the battery status and send a warning when it is in danger of overheating. Also, the battery’s charging capacity will be limited to 75 percent as a precaution.
