Carmaker Stellantis recalls 700,000 hybrid vehicles

Carmaker Stellantis has recalled 700,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide -- including Fiat, Jeep, Citroen and Peugeot brands -- over a problem that could cause a fire in the engine, Germany's vehicle regulator KBA has said.

The carmaker confirmed Wednesday it had registered 36 incidents connected with the problem worldwide, including 12 fires, and added that more than 200,000 of the recalls were in France.

Stellantis, which was formed in 2021 through a merger of France's PSA Group and Italian-American company Fiat-Chrysler, has also recently recalled other models over other problems with airbags and engines.

The latest issue affects small hybrid cars where the combustion engine and electric motor have been positioned too close together.

When in humid conditions two of the smaller components can come into contact and cause a fire, but the issue can be fixed in minutes by replacing a small part, according to Stellantis.

KBA said the recall concerned 295,000 Peugeot 208 and 2008 cars, 126,000 Citroen C3s, C4s and C3 Aircrosses, 124,000 Fiat Grande Pandas, 44,000 Alfa Romeo Juniors and 88,000 Jeep Avengers.

AFP