Vauxhall mother or father firm Stellantis remembers 44,000 UK petrol vehicles together with Peugeots and Citroens over fireplace threat – is your motor impacted?

Stellantis, the parent group of major car brands including Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen and the world’s fifth biggest auto maker, has ordered the recall of 44,000 UK petrol cars over concerns they could catch on fire.

The global callback affects 700,000 motors across all markets.

Vehicle impacted are all new or relatively new cars produced between 2023 and 2026 and use the company’s 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine, which is deployed across various brands.

This includes the three aforementioned marques as well as Alfa Romeo, DS, Fiat and Jeep.

A recall notice has been published on the UK government’s website. It states that contact between the engine’s gasoline particulate filter (GPF) pipe and the pole protection cap for the starter-generator can cause water to enter the engine bay, potentially resulting in overheating or a fire.

The recall comes less than 12 months after Stellantis was forced to recall over 100,000 Citroens in the UK due to faulty Takata airbags after another of the defective safety devices cost the life of a French driver last summer. 

The company faced huge criticism for its handling of the ‘stop-drive’ recall, with affected owners told not to drive their vehicles, unable to book repair slots, delivered unclear information and left without a means of transport – in many cases – for months. 

The recall will also be another huge financial toll on the company, which in February confirmed it had taken a £19billion hit from rushing into the EV market too fast for European customers, who remain reluctant to transition to battery-powered models. 

Stellantis, parent group of brands including Vauxhall and Citroen, has recalled 44k UK petrol cars over fears they could catch on fire. It includes over 13k Peugeot 208s (pictured)

Drivers will receive a notice letter by post informing them that their vehicle has been recalled. 

They will be told to contact their nearest dealer to schedule a repair. 

To resolve the issue, an authorised garage will replace the pole protection cap for the starter-generator and check the distance between the GPF pipe and the cap. 

The pipe will then be repositioned or replaced as necessary. 

Stellantis UK says the work will take roughly half an hour to complete at no cost.

While Stellantis UK and Reuters says Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Jeep models – which were sold in the UK – are also implicated by the recall, owners of these models are yet to be included in the notices, Autocar suggests.

And there are plenty of popular cars on the list due to be repaired.

This includes over 13,300 Peugeot 208 superminis and 5,700 2008 crossovers. Around 2,000 Vauxhall Corsas and Citroen C3 Aircross are also subject to the recall. 

Cars impacted are new or relatively new models produced in 2023-2026 and use the 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol powertrain. This includes 5,700 Peugeot 2008s (pictured)

Almost 2,000 1.2-litre mild-hybrid Vauxhall Corsas sold between 2023 this year are also being called back for the vital repair

Stellantis UK said: ‘Having customer safety and satisfaction at the core of its values, Stellantis is voluntarily recalling 44,000 vehicles in the UK due to a potential issue concerning the clearance between the gasoline particulate filter (GPF) pipe and the belt starter generator (BSG).

‘Some 2023-2026 Peugeot, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Fiat vehicles may have been assembled with an insufficient clearance between the gasoline particulate filter pipe and the pole protection cup of the 48V Belt Starter Generator (BSG).

‘Under wet conditions, there is a possibility that this insufficient clearance and a possible contact between these components may lead to water infiltration creating electrical arch, which could trigger a thermal event, such as overheating. In the worst-case scenario, this could result in a potential risk of fire in the engine compartment.’

The recall comes just months after Stellantis issued a callback for 70,000 cars with the non-hybrid 1.2-litre PureTech engine. 

In August 2025, a notice was issued for 28 model ranges across the Stellantis group due to a fire risk caused by a fuel leakage. 

Owners will hope the recall goes more smoothly than another huge call back the company issued last year. 

Stellantis on 20 June 2025 raised a stop-drive recall for Citroen and DS cars – notably C3s and DS3s – due to their Takata airbags posing a major safety threat.

But having struggled to source enough parts to quickly repair over 100,000 vehicles impacted, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in August told Stellantis’ UK boss she had ‘serious concerns’ about the ongoing impact on drivers.

Hundreds of owners had also contacted the Daily Mail telling us they had been unable to get to work and hospital appointments without their cars for months, with some even taking out loans to purchase replacement vehicles.

The backlog was of recalled cars was eventually cleared around September and October.