If you have a car from brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Fiat, Jeep, DS, Alfa Romeo or Lancia, this will interest you. The European safety alert system has activated a warning that affects thousands of Stellantis group vehicles in Spain due to a possible risk of fire derived from a design defect in their engines.
The problem mainly affects models that have a 1.2-liter turbo gasoline engine in a microhybrid version, manufactured between 2023 and January 2026, as published the OCU. Although the recorded cases are limited, only a few dozen fires have occurred worldwide for now, the volume of cars involved, which could exceed 40,000 in Spain, has led the manufacturer to start a review campaign.
This is a common procedure in the automotive industry, known as “recall”, through which brands correct detected faults to avoid greater risks to users.
What is the fault and why can it cause fires?
The origin of the problem is a design defect. Specifically, the distance between the particle filter tube and the alternator is less than 10 millimeters, which in certain conditions can create a risk.
When there is humidity, this proximity can cause an electric arc, generating overheating that, in the worst case, could end in a fire. Although the incidence is low, European authorities and organizations such as the OCU have warned of the need to review these vehicles for safety.
Stellantis has recognized the failure and has detailed the technical solution: replace a component of the electrical system (the protection of the 48V starter generator) with another one with greater insulation and check the distance between pieces to avoid contact.
Taking the car to be checked for this call will not take more than 30 minutes, according to motor.es, and the vehicle analysis is completely free for owners.
What are the affected car models?
The list of cars affected by this problem includes some of the best-selling models in Spain in recent years, all of them with a 1.2-liter microhybrid gasoline engine. Manufacturing dates vary by model, but generally range from March 2023 to early 2026.
The list of affected vehicles published by the OCU includes:
- Alfa Romeo Junior manufactured between November 27, 23 and December 18, 2025.
- Citroën C3 and Citroen C3 Aircross manufactured between November 22, 2024 and December 22, 2025.
- Citroën C4 and C4 X manufactured between October 2023 and January 12, 2026.
- DS and DS 3 produced between February 1, 2024 and January 13, 2026.
- Fiat Grande Panda manufactured between February 25, 2025 and January 23, 2026.
- Fiat 600 manufactured between July 28, 2023 and December 19, 2025.
- Jeep Avenger manufactured between March 9, 2023 and December 18, 2025.
- Lancia Ypsilon produced between March 18, 2024 and January 13, 2026.
- Opel Corsa manufactured between June 1, 2023 and January 13, 2026.
- Opel Frontera manufactured between July 30, 2024 and December 22, 2025.
- Opel Mokka manufactured from February 5, 2024 and January 13, 2026.
- Peugeot 208 from January 5, 2024 to January 10, 2026.
- Peugeot 2008 manufactured between June 7, 2023 and January 21, 2026.
What affected car owners should do
The owners of these vehicles will be contacted directly by the manufacturer to go to an official dealer. In addition, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) can also notify the notice through the miDGT application.
In any case, if you have one of these models and have not received any communication, it is best to contact the dealership or the brand’s customer service directly.
The review has no cost and is key to avoiding possible risks.
A common practice in the sector
Although it may cause concern, these types of recalls are part of the normal functioning of the automobile industry. All manufacturers, from the most general to the premium ones, carry out similar campaigns when they detect errors.
The important thing, in these cases, is not so much the existence of the problem as the speed and transparency of the response. In this case, Stellantis has recognized the defect, defined a clear technical solution and activated an agile process to solve it at no cost to the customer.
Even so, organizations such as the OCU recall that these failures highlight the importance of strengthening quality controls to prevent problems of this type from reaching the market.