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Consumer Alert

‘Park Outside.’ 1.5 Million Vehicles Got That Order in 30 Days.

Clara Rollover • Clautomotive Desk
July 18, 2026
A Jeep Wrangler and Kia Telluride parked outside a suburban garage at dusk with caution tape across the garage door

Between June 9 and July 10, NHTSA told owners of 1,539,868 vehicles to park outside and away from buildings because their cars might spontaneously catch fire. Two automakers, two unrelated defects, one shared instruction: get this thing away from your house.

1,539,868
Vehicles under “park outside” fire-risk advisories issued between June 9 and July 10, 2026

On June 9, Stellantis recalled 1,076,999 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators from model years 2021 through 2025 under NHTSA Campaign 26V363000.[1] The electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring can overheat and ignite the vehicle while it is parked with the ignition off. Not idling. Off. Stellantis confirmed at least 51 fires and one injury; Reuters reported 72 field reports that may be connected.[2] The fix was supposed to arrive “no later than July.” It is July 18, and owners are still parking outside.

One month later, Kia issued recall SC316 covering 462,869 Tellurides from 2020 through 2024.[3] A front power seat slide knob can become dislodged, causing the motor to run continuously until it overheats. Seven seats have caught fire and eleven motors have melted. All 18 confirmed incidents occurred after Kia had already recalled these vehicles for the identical defect in 2024 under Campaign 24V407.[4] Kia attributed the continued failures to “sporadic dealer workmanship issues” — meaning the first repair was botched, and the defect that was supposed to be resolved kept setting seats on fire. Owners who brought their Tellurides in for the 2024 fix are now being told to park outside again while Kia develops an electronic fuse assembly, available in August at the earliest.[3]

The crash data adds context. The Wrangler already carries a fatality rate of 0.84 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, 53% above the SUV class average of 0.55.[5] It was an above-average-risk vehicle before its steering pump started lighting garages on fire. The Telluride sits at 0.04 per 100 million VMT, one of the lowest of any SUV on the road. Neither rate reflects the fire defect; both reflect the broader safety profile these vehicles carry into an owner’s driveway.

What to do: If you own a 2021–2025 Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator, park outside, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls for Campaign 26V363000, and call Stellantis at 1-800-853-1403. If you own a 2020–2024 Kia Telluride, call 1-800-333-4542; notifications start August 13, and do not assume the 2024 repair resolved the issue. Keep both away from garages and other cars until the current fix is completed.

The obvious defense is the math. Fifty-one fires out of 1.08 million Jeeps is 0.005%. Eighteen incidents out of 463,000 Tellurides is 0.004%. NHTSA’s system is working as designed: defects found, owners warned, repairs forthcoming. But the Kia recall breaks an assumption the entire system depends on — that when you bring your car in for a recall repair, the repair actually works. When the fix fails and the re-recall tells you to park outside a second time, the system is no longer protecting you. It is apologizing.

Sources & References

  1. NHTSA, Campaign Number 26V363000, “Electric Hydraulic Power Steering Pump Wiring May Overheat,” June 4, 2026; consumer alert published June 9, 2026. nhtsa.gov/recalls
  2. David Shepardson, Reuters, “Stellantis tells owners of 1.3 million Jeeps to park outside over fire concerns,” June 7, 2026. reuters.com
  3. NHTSA, “Kia Telluride Recall for Fire Risk | Park Outside,” July 9–10, 2026; Kia recall SC316 covering 462,869 MY 2020–2024 vehicles. nhtsa.gov/recalls
  4. Autoblog, “Kia Telluride Seat Recall: 462,000 SUV Owners Told to Park Outside,” July 9, 2026; AP via Scripps, “New recall for Kia Telluride SUVs due to fire risk,” July 10, 2026. autoblog.com
  5. NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2014–2023. nhtsa.gov

Source: NHTSA FARS 2014–2023, NHTSA recalls database. FARS fatality rates use estimated VMT from NHTS survey data, introducing ±15% uncertainty. Telluride data reflects a small sample (31 deaths) from a relatively new nameplate. Fire incidence figures are drawn from manufacturer and NHTSA recall filings as of July 2026 and may be updated as investigations continue. See methodology for caveats.