More than 1.5 million vehicles have been recalled so far this year due to a risk of the car bursting into flames, even while turned off, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Over the last several months, drivers of certain Jeep Gladiators, Jeep Wranglers, Kia Tellurides and BMW 530e xDrives have been warned to park their vehicles away from other cars or buildings due to the risk of their car igniting. The warnings, known as “park outside” recalls, have become more frequent over the last few years as cars are built with more electronics – and face more trouble cooling down.
In the first seven months of 2026 alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued 17 “park outside” campaigns. Jeff Ebsch, a North Dakota resident, knows what it’s like to experience the frightening moment a car suddenly erupts into flames. Late last year, he walked into his garage to find his 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe on fire – unbeknownst to him, the vehicle had a “park outside” recall on it, WDay RadioNow reported.
Ebsch isn’t the only one who has faced that type of danger, and likely will not be the last. The “park outside” recalls are meant to warn drivers of what are referred to as “key-off fires,” Frank Borris, a former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigator, told the Washington Post. Borris attributed the problem to the rise in electronics manufactured in vehicles.
With more technology tightly packed under the hood of a vehicle, combined with the fact that cars run at higher temperatures nowadays, there are more opportunities for fires. In June, Stellantis recalled 1,076,999 Jeep Gladiators and Jeep Wranglers manufactured between 2021 and 2025, after at least 51 fires – one resulting in injury – were reported. Stellantis attributed the sudden combustion to an electrical wiring problem in the hydraulic power steering pump.
The company said at the time it expected to develop a solution by July. In July, Kia issued a “park outside” recall for 462,869 of its Tellrides, manufactured between 2020 and 2024, due to an overheating issue with the front seat motor. The company said it was aware of at least seven seat fire incidents and 11 instances of the front seat motor melting.
In 2024, there were approximately 10 “park outside” recalls issued, according to the Washington Post’s analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But between January 1 and July 31 of this year, the U.S. has already seen 17 recalls. Some safety advocates argue that “park outside” recalls are inevitable because of the technological advancements in vehicles.
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