Stellantis, the European carmaker, has issued a recall for 44,000 vehicles in the UK due to a fault that could cause fires. The recall affects models from its Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Vauxhall, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Fiat brands, produced between 2023 and 2026.
The fault involves insufficient clearance between the gas filter pipe and a component of the belt starter generator, which can allow water to leak into the engine bay during wet conditions, creating a potential fire risk. Affected models include the Citroën C3, Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Mokka.
Stellantis said it would contact affected owners to arrange free repairs at dealerships. The recall is the latest setback for the company, which recently took a €22bn charge and sold a stake in its battery joint venture after admitting it overestimated the shift to electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, rival Jaguar Land Rover reported a recovery in sales for the quarter ending 31 March, selling 95,300 vehicles to dealers, a 61.1% increase from the previous quarter. However, sales were still down 14.5% year-on-year, attributed to a cyber-attack, US tariffs, challenges in China and the wind-down of some Jaguar models.
