— Jaguar I-PACE battery fires have caused a class action lawsuit which includes all 2019-2024 Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in California.
The Jaguar I-PACE battery fire lawsuit was filed by California plaintiff Sharon Joyce who purchased a new 2020 Jaguar I-PACE in July 2019.
In September 2019, she took the vehicle to a Jaguar dealer for "various defects" and the repair order allegedly said, "during the pre-delivery inspection, Plaintiff’s Vehicle displayed reduced electric vehicle range."
No repairs were made because there allegedly were no repair procedures available.
In October 2019, she again took her I-PACE to a dealer for "various defects" and technical service bulletin H247 was available for the problem associated with a display warning of reduced range.
In January 2020, Jaguar issued technical service bulletin software update H264 to deliver up to 12 miles of additional real-world range on a full charge.
The lawsuit further alleges TSB H264 changed the battery to run to a lower state of charge than before, and without affecting performance.
The plaintiff contends she had to have her Jaguar towed to a dealer where the vehicle registered diagnostic trouble code POABF-12 in the battery energy control module.
The plaintiff's I-PACE suffered another high-voltage battery failure in April 2023, "leaving her stranded in the middle of a street and blocking people from exiting their parking spaces."
The I-PACE allegedly displayed a battery fault light, other warning lights and then died. The Jaguar was towed and both the startup battery and secondary battery were replaced.
Jaguar I-PACE Battery Fire Recall H441
According to the class action lawsuit, the plaintiff received an I-PACE recall letter in July which said, “the high-voltage battery may overheat which increases the risk of a fire and occupant injury and/or injury to persons outside the Vehicle, as well as property damage.”
The recall letter said to be aware of battery fault messages, popping sounds, burning smells, smoke and flames. The repair includes a software update to “monitor the battery pack assembly operational status that indicates where the battery contains conditions which may lead to overheating.”
Jaguar I-PACE owners were warned to park outside due to the fire danger, and owners were also warned not to charge their vehicles above 75% until repairs were completed.
Jaguar says the software update provides an "enhanced level of driver warnings in relation to battery condition and where the software determines a risk exists, the High Voltage battery charging capacity is limited to 75%."
The lawsuit alleges Jaguar knew the battery systems were defective even before the vehicles were built, and the software update allegedly does nothing to protect the vehicles from fires.
Jaguar allegedly concealed the battery defects and dangers from customers and the public. And when I-PACE owners complained about battery problems, Jaguar dealers allegedly told customers there were no repairs available.
When the Jaguar I-PACE battery recall was announced, Jaguar knew of at least eight battery fires. And the lawsuit alleges this has caused the I-PACE vehicles to lose their values.
The Jaguar I-PACE battery fire class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California: Sharon Joyce v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC, et. al.
The plaintiff is represented by Wirtz Law APC, and O'Connor Law Group.