Jeep is recalling nearly 200,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles because of a problem. They found out that in certain situations, the windshield defrost system might not work properly in Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe models.
The issue comes from some cars having the wrong software in their hybrid control processor.
These cars were made between September 2, 2020, and August 24, 2023, for Wranglers, and between July 23, 2021, and December 5, 2023, for Grand Cherokees. About 139,318 Wrangler 4xes and 59,825 Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are affected.
Jeep will fix this problem by updating the hybrid control processor. They’ve already made this change in the cars they’re currently making, so if you’re buying a new Jeep, you shouldn’t have this issue.
This isn’t the first problem with the Wrangler 4xe. Just four months ago, Jeep told owners not to charge their car batteries because of a fire risk in 32,000 cars.
Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, found out about this issue in June 2023 and looked into it until January. They’ll tell affected owners about the recall by April 5. If you think your Jeep might be one of those affected, you should check the NHTSA’s recall website and type in your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).