Stellantis, parent company of several brands including Citroen and Vauxhall, has announced it’s to offer compensation to UK customers affected by mechanical issues caused by the ‘wet belt’ fitted to PureTech petrol engines.
Originally launched in Europe, the online claims portal has now been expanded to include eligible UK vehicles. The compensation scheme covers costs related to excessive oil consumption and/or premature timing belt failure incurred between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2024 on cars fitted with the 1.0-litre or 1.2-litre petrol PureTech engines.
To qualify, any work completed rectifying wet belt problems must have followed the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule and been performed by a qualified automotive professional. Diagnosis and repairs must also have been carried out through an authorised network.
Previously, Stellantis extended the warranty on earlier generations of PureTech engines, covering 100% of parts and labour for up to 10 years or 112,000 miles, subject to certain conditions.
Think you may be owed money? You can access the Stellantis compensation portal here.
Speaking to Parkers, Alain Favey, CEO of Peugeot said: ‘We launched a simple platform, and quite unique from a manufacturer, to offer a simple platform where customers can raise claims and get compensation. We started this in April, and approximately 60 per cent who go on the platform get the compensation they are entitled to.
‘On the other hand we continue to confirm our absolute confidence in the quality of our product, and our 10-year warranty on PureTech engines sold through our Spoticar scheme, and of course on our new cars by offering an eight-year warranty on all our new EVs. It’s a positive mark of confidence from us on the quality of our product which is very important.’
What is a wet belt?
A ‘wet belt’ is a timing belt that’s lubricated in the engine’s oil. While this helps with efficiency and to reduce emissions, the oil being in constant contact with the belt speeds up the degradation of the belt and if not maintained properly, it can lead to catastrophic engine failure.
The timing belt is an essential part of an engine and ensures everything happens at the right moment. If it ends up damaged, it can destroy an engine reasonably quickly.
There’s another issue with these belts and the way they degrade. Because engines should be sealed units, there’s nowhere for the degraded rubber particles to go. So, they sit in the oil where they can clog and damage crucial engine components. In many ways they’re like microplastics in humans.
It’s not just Stellantis that have been stung by wet belt problems, Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine also uses a wet belt and has been subject to the same issues.
What cars are affected?
Don’t worry, we’ve put together a list of cars that may be at risk of damage from the wet belt fitted to the engine. Remember, this compensation applies to 1.0-litre or 1.2-litre petrol PureTech engines. Stellantis has since swapped to a much more reliable timing chain.
Citroen: Berlingo, C1, C3, C3 Aircross, C4, C4 Cactus, C4 Picasso, C5 Aircross
DS: 3, 3 Crossback, 7 Crossback
Jeep: Avenger
Peugeot: 108, 208, 2008, 308, 3008, 5008
Vauxhall: Astra, Combo, Corsa, Crossland, Grandland, Mokka
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