Thousands of drivers in the UK have been warned to stop driving their vehicles as it could set on fire after the manufacturer issued a major safety recall. Prominent brands like Peugeot, Jeep, Fiat, Citroen and Vauxhall have been affected but one expert is concerned that people won’t act on the warning.
Louise Minchin shared on BBC’s Morning Live how to tell if your vehicle has been affected by this or any other recalls from manufacturers. The expert urged people to take action as the issue can be fixed in around 30 minutes and should be sorted free of charge.
She shared: “First of all, Don't Panic. The risk of fire in this case, it is very, very small, but it is a particularly large recall and actually what I want to talk about today is about that recall and also how to be aware if your car is part of recall because it's really important.
“This is a really stobering statistic, recent research from a vehicle history checking service found 72% of cars that are recalled for any reason are still on the road.”
This particular recall has been issued by the manufacturer Stellantis. The company has assured it will reach out to affected vehicle owners and ask them to contact their dealer to schedule an appointment to fix the issue.
Louise explained people may be contacted by letter, email or phone call but warned that things like getting your car second hand or moving house could mean these communications don’t get through to you.
Most car manufacturer’s websites will have a tool where people can check if their car has been part of a recall. Louise used an example of the Vauxhall website where people will need their vehicle identification number which can be found in your logbooks and various places around the car.
The other way to check if your car has been part of the recall is using the Government’s checker tool. There’s two ways of using this tool depending on what information you have about the car.
You can use the car’s registration number to check if it has been involved in safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed. Or if you don’t know the registration number you can check using the manufacturer, model and year of manufacture.
Louise continued: "Don't Panic, but it is worth saying that if your car seems to be running perfectly, it could still be affected by a recall. So if it's not on the list, or you haven't been contacted, you should find out.
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“If you have been contacted, don't ignore it. You need to do something about it straight away, and I know life gets really busy, but get in touch with the manufacturer, most of the time it's quite it can be a really simple fix. One at the moments is only about 30 minutes or so, and also it is free.
“It doesn't matter where you bought your car because safety recalls are down to the manufacturer, and it's regardless of the car's age, the owner, or the warranty status as well. They absolutely need to be done.”
Louise also warned that if you are driving a vehicle that has been recalled it may not just be your safety you’re putting at risk: “There could be financial consequences because your car, for your insurance needs to be roadworthy. And if it’s subject to a recall and something happens, your insurance might be invalidated.
“So really, really important. I don't want to worry anybody, but you know, do not ignore these messages.”
In a statement, Stellantis confirmed according to Express: "Having customer safety and satisfaction at the core of its values, Stellantis is voluntarily recalling an estimated 44,000 vehicles in the UK due to a potential issue concerning the clearance between the gasoline particulate filter pipe and the belt starter generator (BSG).
"Stellantis will immediately reach out to affected vehicle owners, asking them to contact their dealer to schedule an appointment. The corrective action involves replacing the pole protection cup of the 48V belt starter generator (BSG) to one with higher insulation. Additionally, the clearance between the gasoline particulate filter pipe and the BSG will be checked and adjusted if necessary.
"This service takes approximately 30 minutes and will be performed free of charge. Additionally, the clearance between the gasoline particulate filter pipe and the BSG will be checked and adjusted if necessary. This service takes approximately 30 minutes and will be performed free of charge."
