By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it was recalling nearly 6,400 I-PACE vehicles in the United States due to fire risks because the high-voltage electric vehicle battery may overheat.
JLR, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, on Wednesday said the battery energy control module software will be updated and battery modules will be replaced as necessary in certain 2019-2024 model year vehicles.
JLR said its engineering team has not determined whether the battery pack assembly is defective or a cause of reported thermal overload conditions, but out of an abundance of caution decided to recall the vehicles.
The automaker has reports of eight U.S. vehicle fires but no accidents or injuries, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
JLR launched its electric I-PACE in 2018, but has not launched any other zero-emission models since. Last month, the company said it would invest 15 billion pounds ($18.5 billion) over the next five years in electric vehicles (EVs) and promised on Wednesday to deliver a new electric Jaguar in 2025.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Jason Neely and Mark Porter)