Wet belt woes, airbag anxiety and now fuel pipe problems – should the trade be losing faith in Stellantis products, with recalls coming one after the other? The latest one concerns a claimed further 72,000 vehicles in the UK affecting seven brands and just under 30 models from Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Vauxhall, Fiat, Jeep and Alfa Romeo, all built between 2023-2025 and fitted with the widely used 1.2-litre 'Puretech' turbocharged petrol engine.
The latest recall is the result of nearly a dozen reported cases of under bonnet fires caused by loosening joints and couplings on the high-pressure fuel lines and fuel rail, leading to leaks and in extreme cases sparking fires.
A Stellantis statement reads: “Some 2023-2025 Peugeot, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Fiat vehicles may face fuel leakage at the high-pressure pipe between the high-pressure pump and the rail due to loosened nuts.
“This can potentially lead to higher fuel leakage consumption and, in a worst-case scenario, to occurrences of fire in the engine.”
Owners are being contacted for a free-of-charge fix which is said to check the tightness of the fuel lines.
This latest recall comes on the back of the embattled vehicle giant issuing an even more urgent do not drive order, mainly to Citroen C3 and DS 3 but also C4 some DS 4 and DS 5 drivers due to their airbags. Here, Stellantis admits these Japanese-made Takata airbags, fitted between 2009-2019, affecting around 120,000 vehicles, may contain degenerating chemicals that could cause this safety device to explode without warning. Takata went bust in in 2017, six years before Stellantis allegedly got wind of air bag explosions which caused injuries and deaths abroad. A recall and replacement programme was instigated a year ago.
It’s a global issue and naturally, Citroen UK are contacting UK owners where free replacement airbags are to be fitted plus may offer support including loan vehicles as compensation. But even so, consumer watchdog Which? has criticised Stellantis’ response to owners’ plights as being “shameful”, with some owners complaining about the time it may take to have their car fixed.
Stellantis told CAT that “we forecast that the majority of customer vehicles will have their new replacement airbags fitted by the end of September, with the remaining cases handled as swiftly as possible within the coming weeks”. Yet one owner recently told the BBC “my recalled car can't be fixed until next year”, something which insiders add is not uncommon. And such is the backlog that workshops of the other Stellantis brands, such as Peugeot, are having to take up some of the slack.
“I think it's one disaster to the next” said Umesh Samani, chairman and founder member of the Independent Motor Dealers Association. “How a manufacturer can say ‘stop driving your car’ but offer little or no support is beyond me, but I guess there are big numbers to overcome and [a question of] how they do it orderly.
“We organised a customer’s car to be transported from her home to the local Citroën dealer a few weeks ago; an elderly lady who wouldn't drive it once she got the letter, and the dealer wouldn't arrange collection, so we arranged a transport company at her cost and it's not her fault.”
Outside the recalls, Samami added that the 'wet belts' used by Stellantis in its ubiquitous 1.2-litre petrol engines were “definitely putting the trade off buying these cars”.
Samami said: “I've heard of cases where dealers have bought cars, looked at the belt degrading and reported these to the main dealers only to be told 'it's fine, we won't replace them under warranty'. The problem is, when the dealer then sells the car, they are liable if it goes bang! So they've replaced them at their costs rather than take the risk.
“I feel as more stories get out there will definitely be less demand for Stellantis vehicles and heavier depreciation as a result. Dealers will be too scared to bid on them – a bit like Ford Ecoboost engines!”
If the trade loses confidence in Stellantis vehicles then it could place some of the corporation's less popular brands on shaky ground in the UK – in a fashion not dissimilar to the Lancia Beta rust debacle 45 years ago, from which that marque never truly recovered.
Responding to CAT, Stellantis said: “ Having customer safety and satisfaction at the core of its values, we remain fully mobilised to support our customers, and their safety remains our highest priority. Stellantis is voluntarily recalling an estimated 72,180 vehicles in the UK due to a potential issue with the high-pressure fuel pipe while the Takata airbag recall is the world’s largest automotive recall, with around 67 million airbags being recalled globally among many brands, including Stellantis.”
Go to comments