Tech giant Samsung has taken responsibility for 180,000 hybrid cars from a variety of car brands being burned out due to battery defects.
Samsung has taken responsibility for a number of battery problems in several hybrid cars, which in the worst case could result in a fire.
This has led to a comprehensive recall of over 180,000 cars from various brands including Ford, Audi and the Stellantis Group.
Electric vehicles from these manufacturers are affected by the problem. Stellantis is the brand most affected. According to Samsung, this concerns 155,096 vehicles from Stellantis. The recall includes the Jeep Wrangler 4xe (2020-2024) and the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe (2022-2024). Both plug-in hybrid models.
The battery packs in question in these electric vehicles sometimes have damage directly from the assembly line. This damage, combined with other possible defects in the battery cells, can cause a fire.
Ford vehicles affected by the recall may have a similar issue. These include the Ford Escape (2020-2024) and Lincoln Corsair (2021-2024).
Ford has stated that their investigations have shown that "Various layers in the high-voltage battery between the cathode and the anode may have been damaged during manufacturing."
Neither Volkswagen nor Samsung has specified the exact problem for the cars covered by the recall under the Volkswagen Group. The two affected models are the Audi A7 (2022) and the Audi Q5 (2022-2023).
The only thing known about the affected Volkswagen models is that thermal overload can cause smoke or fire.
The two problems are different. But the first can lead to the second. In the case of a so-called thermal escape, fire is almost inevitable and very difficult to extinguish.
Samsung has admitted that they do not yet have a definitive solution to the problem, but Ford owners will receive a warning directly in their cars if there is danger.
In this case, a message will be displayed in the instrument cluster stating "the vehicle must be stopped safely now". Audi and Stellantis owners do not have this option. Their best option to get around the problem is to send the vehicles to a workshop as soon as possible.
So far, the only solution across all brands appears to be a software update that will alert owners if the battery system detects a problem.
For now, it's a good idea to park outdoors – just to be safe. Electric and hybrid cars and their batteries are an area that requires both attention and continued development.
