For the past year, unfortunate owners of DS, Citroën, Peugeot and Opel cars affected by PureTech engine problems have come together to try to obtain financial compensation from the Stellantis group, thanks to the MyLéo platform. 500,000 vehicles are affected worldwide.
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Céline* never travels without her driving license, her registration document and especially her can of oil. She owns a 3008 three-cylinder PureTech gasoline engine. The mechanical “cocktail” which risks causing it to break down at any time.
The scandal of vehicles equipped with a PureTech engine is not new, but every day more and more owners are posting messages on Facebook pages dedicated to this problem, contacting associations or getting involved. with the MyLéo platform, a collective action platform.
I bought my car from a garage specializing in used vehicles, it was in March 2023, the entry into circulation of my car dates back to May 2019. I think the dealership was aware of the problem.
Céline, owner of a 3008 PureTech
July 2024, a few days before leaving on vacation, Céline goes to a mechanic to check the levels. To his great surprise, more than half the engine oil was missing even though the oil change had been done six months earlier. In October, she noticed once again that the engine oil level was much too low. “Here again, I added half of a one-liter container,” explains this young mother. “That day, I was with my cousin who, in front of the raised hood of my car, asked me if my 3008 was a gasoline engine with a 3-cylinder Pure Tech engine. He then advised me to get rid of it as quickly as possible.”
The motorist from Doubs then carried out research on the internet and discovered the “scandal” which she considered “suppressed” by Pure Tech engines. “If you are not interested in the automotive press, you are completely missing out,” and she feels a sense of betrayal.
I thought I was safe with my daughter traveling hundreds and hundreds of kilometers, but this is not the case. On every trip, my eyes are fixed on the dashboard, afraid of seeing a light come on
Céline, owner of a 3008 PureTech
According to her, things should not be like this with a vehicle that is only five years old and costs 25,000 euros. “It is extremely serious on the part of Peugeot to do nothing, to leave us insecure. We are completely left out,” said the driver.
To the association’s standard UFC-Que Choisir du Doubs, calls from owners of vehicles with a PureTech engine number one to two per week. From the mouth of jurist Benjamin Capelli “it is not negligible”. “People ask us for information, what should happen now with their vehicles, what can they do, others are already in conflict with Peugeot”.
Launched 12 years ago, the PureTech engine was nevertheless voted “best engine in its category” in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Renamed “Pure Toc” or even “Pure M…”, nearly 500,000 owners of a PureTech in the world, including 40,000 in France, would be affected.
The problem with these three-cylinder gasoline engines is that they present a risk of premature wear of the timing belt with excessive oil consumption, most of the time leading to engine breakdown. This is a design problem
Benjamin Capelli, lawyer at UFC-Que Choisir in Doubs
When there is excess oil consumption, Peugeot recommends weighing the oil. “From there, the defective part or the motor itself is replaced, but the problem is not resolved, because if you replace the motor, you are given a PureTech motor.” At UFC-Que Choisir, there is first the amicable phase with Stellantis and then legal action with a lawyer. “The national federation is linked to the repression of fraud,” Benjamin Capelli tells us.
In 2021, Sébastien Czeniak, a resident of the north, created a Facebook page to bring together all motorists unhappy with PureTech engines. Today, his page titled PSA 1.2 Puretech Problems: Belt, Overconsumption of oil, HS engine, has more than 47,000 members. To our colleagues at France 3 Hauts-de-France, he explains in an article.
I find it abusive that a company like Stellantis blames its customers and makes them pay for their design problem.
Sébastien Czeniak, owner of a PureTech
In Facebook publications, many worrying testimonies of lights coming on and poor support for Stellantis. And each time, the same feeling of insecurity and abandonment emerges.
Faced with the growing number of Internet users who contact him, Sébastien Czeniak calls on the Myléo platform, a law firm whose aim is to attempt class action against Stellantis. When Sébastien Czeniak contacted them in November 2023, there were already 1,000 owners unhappy with their PureTech engine.
Today, there are more than 5,000 and 3,000 on a waiting list. Among the complainants, Jean-Marie Gaudin in Haut-Jura. He bought a new 3008 in 2017. The first problems appeared in 2020 at 95,000 km, with the degradation of the belt. Peugeot took charge of the repairs, but at 145,000 km the engine failed. The couple had to pay 2,900 euros because Stellantis did not cover all of the costs.
The consequence of all this is that they gave us the same engine so we don’t know if it will last, and if it lasts, how long it will last. If we had been told what type of belt it was, we would not have bought such a car. Ours is unsellable, we will take it to the very end.
Jean-Marie Gaudin, owner of a PureTech
Jean-Marie Gaudin therefore continues to drive his car, in complete insecurity, he knows, and to check the oil level constantly.
Other customer of the MyLéo platform, Kévin Durin, who, on January 25, 2024, almost had an accident. He, his wife, his three-month-old twins, his mother and his sister head to Pontarlier. When overtaking, his 5008 1.2 PureTech lost power, making it impossible to pull back when a vehicle was approaching. “As soon as the engine heats up, you lose power. We have already changed the belt, Stellantis did not want to take charge”.
Faced with these abandoned motorists brought together thanks to the platform MyLéo, Me Christophe Lèguevaques requested financial compensation for each of the 5,000 plaintiffs. “In March 2024, we exchanged for three months with Stellantis for individual compensation. In June, we saw nothing coming, just an extension of the warranty and the creation of a label on the vehicles on sale, stipulating that such and such a repair has been carried out”, explains Me Christophe Lèguevaques. In July 2024, the The lawyer summoned by video 3,000 people across France, who are in dispute with Stellantis, to inform them of the manufacturer’s responses, but the account was not there.
On October 25, Stellantis was supposed to come back to us, but we didn’t see anything coming, they told us “it’s complicated for us, we can’t do it”. We gave them until December 20 to propose something, if nothing happens, we will reach a contentious phase
Me Christophe Lèguevaques, lawyer for the MyLéo platform
Unfortunately, it’s not just Peugeots, DS, Citroëns and Opels are also affected. And according to Me Christophe Lèguevaques, “Stellantis was aware from the start”.
Patrick owns a Citroën. “Two years ago, I changed my belt, but I continue to add oil constantly, on average 1 liter every 1,500 km. Stellantis did not take care of everything, I am told that my file does not fit in, so it is dishonest on their part. I am very disappointed with this technical error, you don’t put a timing belt in oil.” Patrick requested coverage for his repairs from Stellantis, but without success.
It is still not possible that a Stellantis engineer would have done such stupidity and that it would have been validated by others. It’s still cheeky, especially when we see that Tavares leaves with a jackpot
Patrick, owner of a Citroën PureTech
Ludovic, for his part, lives in the agglomeration of Montbéliard, the country of the “Peuge”, he works in a Peugeot factory and yet, it is the call for testimony launched on the Facebook page of France 3 Franche-Comté which learned of the existence of these problems on Pure Tech engines. He owns a C3 Citroën 1.2 Pure Tech petrol from 2018 and for some time now, like many people, he has been experiencing problems. “I had to change the timing belt at 80,000 km as well as the catalyst, not very long ago, since August, I have had the “engine fault” light coming on and I also noticed a overconsumption of oil” Ludovic is indignant. His C3 was intended for his daughter at the next car change, it will not be: the Pure Tech engine calls into question this family’s plans.
We wanted to change cars and leave this one to our daughter, but since it’s a budget eater, we won’t let her
Ludovic, owner of a car with a PureTech engine
Stéphanie can no longer drive her Peugeot 2008. The problem: the anti-pollution system which no longer depollutes, due to overconsumption of oil, despite changing parts. Result: his vehicle does not pass the Technical Inspection and Stellantis does not want to hear anything, everything remains at his expense. “My car has been in the garage since July, considered non-running. I ask Stellantis about changing the engine, but they won’t hear anything, yet the vehicle will only be 10 years old next May, the services are carried out at the garage, I don’t understand,” he asks. She.
Contacted, the Stellantis press service provides details on the support for PureTech vehicles affected by these problems.
What is the extended warranty?
“Having made customer satisfaction one of its fundamental values”, Stellantis confirms the extension of the warranty for certain Puretech 3-cylinder gasoline engines, under certain conditions.
Following reported cases of excessive oil consumption or loss of oil pressure (related to premature timing belt degradation), Stellantis is offering an extended warranty. “To benefit from the extended warranty, the vehicle must have been regularly maintained in the network and have less than 175,000 km. At that time, the manufacturer applies a 10-year warranty on the engine.
Customers interested in this warranty extension are invited to contact the authorized service network to consult the terms and conditions of this extension.
Conditions to respect:
That the maintenance was carried out according to the maintenance plan recommended by the manufacturer, with any automotive professional,
That the diagnosis and repair must have been carried out in the approved network,
Stellantis does not require 100% of maintenance invoices, but only the last three, with a tolerance of 3 months / 3000 kms.
Which vehicles are affected?
These are Peugeot, Citroën and DS vehicles equipped with the 1.2 liter petrol engine, produced before 2022. Technical modifications were made to the new engines in 2022 and 2023 such as a new piston design, strengthening of the oil separator, or the installation of a new belt, assures Stellantis. “Today, our new generation of 1.2-liter gasoline engines is made up of 70% new parts and therefore no longer poses any problems.”
To date, Stellantis has not wished to communicate the number of owners of a PureTech vehicle who have requested the warranty extension.
In the meantime, Céline*, like all the other victims, lives with the burden of an unreliable vehicle.
The first name has been changed*