Updated June 11, 2026: this article now reflects NHTSA's standalone consumer alert (51 fires, 1 injury) and the public Part 573 Safety Recall Report — per-model counts, root cause, and the phased July 9 - August 3 remedy-letter window — which supersede the earlier investigation-era figures.
Key facts
- Campaign: NHTSA 26V363 (26V363000); FCA US internal recall 21D. Manufacturer: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC), parent Stellantis. Defect determined May 28, 2026; Part 573 filed June 4; announced June 9, 2026.
- Population (US): 1,076,999 — 787,887 MY2021-2025 Jeep Wrangler (built Jun 24, 2020 - Dec 2, 2024) + 289,112 MY2021-2025 Jeep Gladiator (built Aug 18, 2020 - Dec 2, 2024). Roughly 1.33 million globally per wire reporting; ABC cites 254,000+ more outside the US.
- Defect: the Electric Hydraulic Power Steering Pump (EHPSP) electrical connection is susceptible to high resistance — spread terminals, an incompletely seated connector, or terminal push-out — which can overheat combustible materials and ignite a fire even with the ignition off. Component supplier: Dare Auto Inc, Plymouth, MI. FCA estimates 0.1% of vehicles actually have the defect.
- Incidents: NHTSA press release: 51 fires and 1 injury likely due to the issue. FCA Part 573 (all markets, as of May 18, 2026): 72 field reports, 35 confirmed to originate at the EHPSP connector, plus 63 customer-assistance records; 0 crashes, 0 fatalities, 1 injury.
- Consumer advisory: park outside and away from structures and other vehicles until repaired. This is not a do-not-drive order (NHTSA parkIt = false).
- Warning signs: loss of power-steering assist or a "Service Power Steering" message.
- Remedy: dealers inspect the EHPSP electrical connection and repair or replace wiring/pump as needed, free of charge — a physical repair, not over-the-air. No remedy available yet. Dealer notification June 11, 2026; phased remedy owner letters July 9 - August 3, 2026; ABC reports FCA anticipates availability by end of July.
- VIN lookup: live at nhtsa.gov/recalls as of June 11, 2026. Owner contacts: FCA US 1-800-853-1403 / recalls.mopar.com; NHTSA hotline 888-327-4236.
Should I buy a used Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator with an open recall and no fix available?
You can buy one — selling a used vehicle with an open recall remains legal in most US states — but for roughly the next month no seller can show you a completed 26V363 repair, because the repair does not exist yet. That changes how you should shop: treat the open recall as unfinished business with a known follow-up cost of zero dollars but a real interim burden (outdoor-only parking), and price and paper the deal accordingly.
Practical steps for the no-fix window:
- Get the recall in writing. Ask the seller — dealer or private — for a written disclosure that the vehicle is subject to NHTSA recall 26V363 and that no remedy was available at sale. A seller who won't put an open recall in writing is telling you something.
- Negotiate on it. The truck cannot be made whole until at least July; the buyer absorbs the park-outside burden until then. There is no published formula for the discount, but an open, currently-unrepairable safety recall is a legitimate negotiating point.
- Plan the parking before you sign. If your only spaces are a garage, carport or attached structure, you do not currently have a compliant place to keep this vehicle.
- Screen the specific truck's history. A fire defect makes history checks unusually important: a prior thermal event typically leaves accident/damage records or a junk/salvage-auction trail, and a panic seller often leaves a visible listing-history fingerprint (covered below).
- After the fix ships, make completion of the free repair a condition of delivery, and verify it through a Jeep dealer or NHTSA's VIN lookup — not through any third-party report.
What does NHTSA's park-outside warning actually require?
NHTSA's June 2026 consumer alert — "Urgent Park Outside Warning Issued for 1 Million Jeeps" — instructs owners to park affected Wranglers and Gladiators outside and away from structures and other vehicles until the recall repair is performed. It is not a do-not-drive or stop-sale order: NHTSA's recall record flags parkIt = false, and no source orders owners off the road.
The reason for the parking rule is the defect's signature feature: the high-resistance connector can overheat and ignite with the ignition off, so the risk exists while the vehicle sits parked. For a shopper, that means test-driving is not prohibited, but garaging the truck at home is off the table until the dealer repair is done. Warning signs that the connector may be failing are a loss of power-steering assist or a "Service Power Steering" message in the cluster.
Which Jeeps are included in recall 26V363?
The recall covers 1,076,999 US vehicles: 787,887 Jeep Wrangler (JL) and 289,112 Jeep Gladiator (JT), model years 2021-2025, built through December 2, 2024. FCA estimates about 0.1% actually have the defect, but every vehicle in the population needs the inspection.
| Model | Model years | US vehicles | Production window | Powertrains | Status (June 11, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler (JL) | 2021-2025 | 787,887 | Jun 24, 2020 - Dec 2, 2024 | All reported included (2.0T, 3.6L, EcoDiesel, 392, 4xe) — Part 573 lists no powertrain exclusions; check the VIN | No remedy yet; park outside; VIN searchable at nhtsa.gov |
| Jeep Gladiator (JT) | 2021-2025 | 289,112 | Aug 18, 2020 - Dec 2, 2024 | All trims reported included | Same |
| Total (US) | 2021-2025 | 1,076,999 | — | — | Phased owner letters Jul 9 - Aug 3, 2026 |
Not included: Wranglers and Gladiators built after December 2, 2024 (later MY2025 builds). The recall expanded on NHTSA investigation PE24024, which covered only 2021-2023 (781,459 units). It is also unrelated to the Jeep Grand Cherokee side-airbag recall, 26V328 (419,035 vehicles) — a different defect on a different model line.
How many fires have there been — 51 or 72?
Both figures are real; they come from two different counting bases and should never be merged into one range. NHTSA's press release states it "is aware of 51 fires and one injury that are likely due to this issue." FCA's Part 573 report, covering all markets as of May 18, 2026, logs 72 field reports — of which 35 are confirmed to have originated at the EHPSP connector interface — plus 63 customer-assistance records and 12 other service records, received between July 13, 2019 and March 28, 2026. Every source agrees on the human toll: one injury, zero crashes, zero fatalities.
The root cause, per the Part 573 chronology: the pump's connector header was manufactured out of tolerance, so insertion forces exceeded spec, producing spread terminals and incompletely seated connectors — plus a terminal push-out condition — all of which create high electrical resistance. FCA could not duplicate the failure in bench testing during June-December 2025, but confirmed in April 2026 that a loose connection melts the connector and can lead to a vehicle fire.
When will the fix be available, and what does the phased July 9 - August 3 window mean?
No remedy was available at announcement, and there are no interim owner letters — the next mail owners receive is the remedy letter, sent in phases from July 9 to August 3, 2026. ABC News reports FCA anticipates remedy availability by the end of July. In plain terms: the no-fix window runs from June 9 until at least early-to-mid July, and owners of late-phase VINs may not get their letter until early August.
The repair itself is free and physical: dealers inspect the EHPSP electrical connection and repair or replace the affected wiring and/or pump as necessary. Recall repairs do not require original ownership — whoever holds the truck gets the fix at no charge. For scheduling on a specific VIN, the authorities are an FCA/Jeep dealer, recalls.mopar.com, FCA US at 1-800-853-1403, or NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
How do I check a specific VIN right now?
VINs for campaign 26V363 went live on NHTSA's free lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls on June 11, 2026 — that is the authoritative check for inclusion, and later, the place (along with a Jeep dealer) to confirm the repair was completed. The manufacturer's tool at recalls.mopar.com and FCA US customer care (1-800-853-1403) work too.
As an additional screening step, a Zilocar VIN check flags recall presence the same way NHTSA's free tool does and adds the history a fire recall makes critical: accident and damage records with severity and airbag-deployment status, junk and salvage auction records, odometer/rollback check, NICB theft record, ownership history, and past/current sales listings with prices and days-on-market. Use NHTSA or a dealer for recall confirmation and repair status; use the history report to screen the specific truck.
How do I spot a panic sale or a truck flipped after a fire?
Sales-listing history is the tell. A 2021-2025 Wrangler or Gladiator listed in June 2026 with a sudden price cut may simply reflect an owner who doesn't want to park outside for a month — which is a negotiating opportunity, not necessarily a defect. The pattern to avoid is different: a truck that was listed, withdrawn, then relisted at changed mileage or price, especially alongside damage records or a junk/salvage-auction entry — the classic flip-after-event fingerprint. A prior vehicle fire usually produces a severe-damage accident record or a total-loss salvage-auction trail; note that auction records are not the same thing as the legal title brand, which a history report does not show.
What a VIN check can and can't tell you here
| Question | VIN history check | Where to confirm instead |
|---|---|---|
| Is this truck subject to recall 26V363? | Yes — recall presence/count | Same signal as NHTSA's free tool (live Jun 11, 2026) |
| Was the 26V363 repair completed? | No — and no truck can show one until the remedy ships (~July) | Jeep dealer or nhtsa.gov VIN lookup |
| Prior accident, fire damage, airbag deployment? | Yes — damage records with type, severity, deployment status | — |
| Sent to a junk/salvage auction? | Yes — auction records (not the legal title brand) | State title records for the brand itself |
| Odometer rollback, theft (NICB), ownership history | Yes | — |
| Listing history — prices, mileage, days-on-market, relists | Yes — how panic sales and flips show up | — |
| Part of investigation PE24024? | No — investigations aren't tracked | NHTSA ODI |
| Specs, NHTSA/IIHS ratings, valuation | Yes | — |
