Flaming Climate
Cars kill AND burn
These “park outside” warnings have surged in recent years, growing from rare occurrences to include millions of vehicles.
An estimated 3.2 million vehicles nationwide currently have an outstanding “park outside” recall, according to vehicle history provider Carfax, which described the surging numbers as “concerning.”
The recalls also create new headaches for drivers, who suddenly wonder where it is safe to park their vehicles.The rise in park-outside recalls is being driven by the growing number of electronics and batteries packed into modern vehicles, involving ordinary wiring, seat motors, starter relays, high-voltage batteries and more, according to experts.
They’re known as “key-off fires,” said Frank Borris, a former NHTSA investigator who now works as a safety consultant.
“The engine is off, but the circuits are still hot, and they stay hot all the time,” Borris said.
“There is a lot more electronics in vehicles today,” he added, “and that means more stuff can go wrong.”
Kane said vehicles today also run hotter and have more components packed tightly under the hood, providing more opportunities for fires to start.
“If something goes wrong, even if you park the car, the temperatures stay higher for longer than they used to,” he said.
This summer has been with flooded with park-outside recalls compared with previous years. Eight campaigns were announced in June and July alone, such as when NHTSA issued a notice, “Urgent Park Outside Warning Issued for 1 Million Jeeps,” blaming an electrical connection issue tied to power-steering pumps.
In the first seven months of 2026, there were 17 park-outside campaigns covering about 1.7 million vehicles, making this year among the busiest since NHTSA first created the park-outside designation more than a decade ago.
washingtonpost.com/business/20…
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