Jaguar can’t seem to catch a break these days. After its rebranding campaign attracted a lot of negativity, now it’s decided to buy back nearly 3,000 of its I-Pace EVs due to the risk of fire. Owners of these vehicles had previously been asked to charge their vehicles outside, and dealers installed an 80% charging limit to minimize the risk of a battery malfunction that could set the battery pack and the entire vehicle alight.
All of the 2,760 affected examples were built in 2018 and were all subject to recalls meant to address the fire risk. They received software fixes for this issue, but they apparently didn’t work, and three cars still caught fire even after they were updated. When Jaguar informed the owners of the affected vehicles that they should park and charge outside (in August), the manufacturer said it was working on a permanent solution.
The automaker investigated the issue further and probably discovered that repairing all the affected cars (like GM did with the Chevy Bolt EV) wasn’t economically viable or too complicated. This could explain why Jaguar resorted to buying all of the cars, and it remains to be seen what sort of compensation it has planned for the owners. The I-Pace is a heavily depreciating car, and the affected examples are over five years old by now, so it won’t be as big a financial burden as buying back cars that are still new.
In June of 2023, Jaguar recalled almost 6,400 I-Pace EVs manufactured between 2018 and 2023 to have their battery control module software updated and any battery modules with faulty cells (manufactured by LG Energy Solutions) replaced. The recall came after eight I-Pace fires in the U.S. alone.
Jaguar has announced that I-Pace production will end in December of this year, when its total global sales are expected to reach around 70,000 units. The I-Pace is made by Magna Steyr in Austria, which also manufactures the smaller E-Pace crossover. Jaguar also stopped production of the XE, XF and F-Type in May to prepare for its repositioning as a more premium Porsche and Bentley rival.
It will launch three new electric models built on a bespoke EV platform. The first will be a fancy fastback previewed by a concept car set to be revealed on December 2 in Miami. Jaguar has teased the upcoming study, which, just like its rebranding as a whole.
