Millions of cars are under recall for catching fire while parked

The big picture: Park-outside recalls are becoming a bigger issue for automakers and drivers as vehicles add more electrical systems, battery technology, and software-controlled components. For drivers, the warnings can mean months of inconvenient parking habits while manufacturers work to provide repairs.

In the first seven months of 2026, the NHTSA issued 17 park-outside recall campaigns affecting about 1.7 million vehicles. Eight of those recalls were announced in June and July, including a warning covering 1 million Jeep vehicles with an electrical connection issue involving power-steering pumps.

The notices tell drivers not to park in garages or near buildings because a vehicle could catch fire after it has been turned off. In some cases, owners are also told not to charge their vehicles until repairs are available.

The problem is not limited to electric vehicles. Fire risks can involve high-voltage batteries in plug-in hybrids, but they can also come from wiring, starter relays, seat motors and other components that still carry electrical current after the engine is shut down.

"The engine is off, but the circuits are still hot, and they stay hot all the time," Frank Borris, a former NHTSA investigator who now works as a safety consultant, told the Washington Post.

Credit: Washington Post

"There is a lot more electronics in vehicles today," he added, "and that means more stuff can go wrong."

NHTSA created the park-outside designation in 2015 to draw attention to recalls involving fire risks in or near buildings. In 2022, it added a park-outside warning box to its online recall listings to make the notices easier for consumers to spot.

Carfax estimates that about 3.2 million vehicles nationwide currently have an unresolved park-outside recall. The notices can leave owners in a difficult position because repairs and replacement parts may not be immediately available.

"For consumers, there seems to be no easy choices," said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies, an auto-safety analysis firm. "Where are you going to park it?"

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