The 1.2 liter PureTech engine from Stellantis continues to raise eyebrows, particularly in Spain, where a customer association has just initiated legal action against the Franco-Italian-American group.
You probably don't know about the Stellantis Customer Association, known as Afestel in Spain, but it should soon be making headlines. The latter has officially started legal action against the group.
This action comes obviously due to the serious malfunctions observed in the PureTech 1.2 liter three-cylinder engines, affecting thousands of customers across Europe.
PureTech engines at the heart of the controversy
PureTech engines, particularly in their 1.2 liter version, are widely used in vehicles produced by the former PSA group, now part of Stellantis. We talk to you about it very regularly at Auto Plus, but these engines, although initially promising better durability and reduced maintenance costs thanks to a timing belt operating in an oil bath, ultimately proved problematic. A shame for a block which was voted “engine of the year” from 2015 to 2018.
The belt is the main source of major failures. These malfunctions lead to costly and potentially dangerous breakdowns. Do not hesitate to consult our dedicated article to find out in more detail what the problems are and which models are affected.
To address this, Stellantis recently extended the warranty, changed the engine oil specifications, and introduced a new version of the belt. An independent manufacturer has even developed a conversion kit to replace the belt with a more robust chain.
Afestel's demands and the impact on customers
According to Afestel, Stellantis marketed vehicles with significant defects, forcing owners to incur significant expenses for repairs, while exposing users to road safety risks. In response, the association filed more than 100 requests for compensationrepresentative a total amount estimated at 1.15 million euros. However, the number of complainants continues to increase: Afestel currently lists more than 6,000 members, while estimating that this population constitutes only a fraction of the users concerned across Europe.
In an effort to intensify pressure on Stellantis, Afestel has scheduled several actions. The first demonstration took place on Saturday December 14 at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Stellantis factory in Figueruelas, located near Zaragoza. Another protest is already planned for December 21 in Madrid.
