US opens probe into more than 781,000 Stellantis vehicles over underhood fires

(Reuters) -The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday it had opened a probe into about 781,459 Stellantis (NYSE:) vehicles over a fire occurring while the vehicle’s ignition was in an ‘OFF’ state.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a death and injury report and multiple field reports alleging incidents of fire in the engine compartment in model year 2021-2022 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles.

The preliminary evaluation will assess the scope, frequency, root cause and possible consequences of the issue, ODI said.