Jaguar has issued a recall on its pre-2021 I-Pace models because of the risk of ‘thermal overload’ from dodgy battery packs. 

Owners have been warned to charge away from buildings, but many have been surprised to find out that the British carmaker’s ‘fix’ for the issue is to cut their battery capacity by 10%. 

I-Pace drivers have complained to Electrifying of ongoing issues with their battery packs, which they say indicate a persistent issue with the cars, but they’ve accused Jaguar, which is about to launch its new flagship EV, of not wanting to replace battery packs that have problems. 

More than 700 people have signed an online petition on the Change.org site raising awareness of the problem, which has left I-Pace owners with not just a significant loss of range from their EVs, but with dramatically lowered values. 

The petition says that I-Pace drivers have been left nervous about the safety of their cars amid the ongoing threat of fire or smoke from problem battery cells. 

The I-Pace battery packs are said to have been manufactured by LG Energy Solutions, with other models from Hyundai, Tesla and Volkswagen recalled in recent years over similar issues.

A fleet of Jaguar I-Paces are currently to be seen driving round London learning the roads – the Waymo self-driving taxis are not pre-2021 models, and are part of a deal struck between the British carmaker and US tech firm. 

The Jaguar news comes as Volvo EX30 owners have been struggling with battery problems – not from ones made by LG – since January, where the Swedish carmaker has required owners of EX30s built between 2024 and 2026 to limit their battery charging to 70% because of fire risk. 

It took months for Volvo to spring into meaningful action, but the recall process is now underway and cars are being booked in for inspection at dealers, with the lengthy process of remedial work not set to begin until May or June and the range on affected EX30s still restricted until that work has taken place.

Many EX30 drivers have expressed their dissatisfaction at the lack of communication, although some owners have reported being offered £200 ‘charging vouchers’ as compensation for the inconvenience when they’ve complained to Volvo.