'May Show As Smoke Or Fire': Jaguar Recalls Its $80k Electric Car, Says Owners Should Charge Outside After Malfunction Revealed

Luxury car manufacturer Jaguar is enacting a massive recall effort impacting its entire series of I-Pace electric vehicles sold in the United States, according to reports released Thursday. The automaker has cited a possible "thermal overload which may show as smoke or fire."

According to Electrek, the outlet released a report in 2022 outlining a suspicion that the Jaguar line could have a battery defect similar to that which impacted the Chevy Bolt EV at that time and subsequently led to a recall from Chevrolet.

Since a low volume of I-Pace vehicles were produced, the four fires that have occurred are statistically significant, even more so than the dozen or so that happened to Chevy Bolts in 2022, according to the outlet.

Elektrek reported in August that one Floridian electric car owner, Gonzalo Salazar, purchased an I-Pace and had driven it for a few years until an incident in June 2022 that saw the vehicle burst into flames.

Salazar told the outlet, "I drove about 12 miles that morning before returning back home and parking the car back in the garage, leaving the garage door open. As I was doing things at home, I heard pops coming from the garage. I decided to go see where the sounds were coming from, and upon walking into the garage, I faced a thick wall of smoke. My thought immediately was, ‘When there is smoke there is fire,’ and I need to get the car out of the house garage."

"I called Jaguar roadside assistance to have them come get the car. When I ended the conversation with them there were more pops, but this time it was followed by fire from under the car. I then called 911 to come help with the situation. But this was not a slow burn, once the fire started there were multiple pops, and the car was just engulfed in flames rapidly."

Another EV fire... this one from Florida earlier this summer. A Jaguar i-pace was parked in an attached garage when the owner heard "popping" sounds and saw smoke puffing from the car. The car was moved outside before it burst into flames. I guess you can call them "lucky". pic.twitter.com/JUOwthCSb4

— Old Brass (@StoichioGuy) August 2, 2022

Breitbart News wrote that according to the recall notice from Jaguar, the manufacturer is employing a software-based fix to solve the battery issue that will limit the batteries' recharging capacity to 75 percent. 

“Recalled vehicles will receive an update to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software that will monitor the battery pack assembly operational status that indicates where the battery contains conditions which may lead to thermal overload condition,” Jaguar explained.

If need be, an impacted battery module or battery pack will be replaced by the manufacturer at no cost to the owner.