Stellantis: Puretech is the least bad option in its lineup

Stellantis: Puretech is the least bad option in its lineup

A 100 hp petrol engine without hybridization, antiestéticaturing an oil-wetted timing belt that was never fully resolved, is considered the least bad option within the automotive group comprising Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Fiat, and Jeep. This diagnosis emerges from a lengthy discussion on the actual state of Stellantis, and it is not mere workshop exaggeration: it is the conclusion reached by those comparing failures across its various powertrains.

The revised Puretech engine works. The problem is that it is only sold associated with a mild hybrid system which, after two years of life and units exceeding 80,000 kilometers, begins to show signs of trouble: according to users, the hybrid system fails, especially the alternator, the battery behaves erratically requiring costly resets, and the transmission is also causing issues. The non-hybrid version, the 100 hp one, remains the source of fewer disappointments, although no one has solved its Achilles' heel: the belt.

A catalog with a single petrol engine

The group's industrial policy explains much of the mess. Stellantis eliminated all petrol engines except the Puretech, inherited from the former PSA Group. It does not use Fiat engines. Nor does it use Opel engines designed during the Stellantis era. Or Peugeot's THP engines. Everything sold under the petrol label within this corporate umbrella is the same block, with or without revisions.

The diesel landscape does not improve. Engines fail due to AdBlue tank issues and timing chain problems. With this starting point, the unavoidable conclusion is uncomfortable: the unrevised Puretech, with proper care, seems the only one exempt from serious problems. And that includes not starting it every cold winter morning.

The belt problem persists. It has not been resolved. People have simply learned to live with it.

The oil-wetted belt and the shadow of the EcoBoost

The oil-wetted timing belt is the original sin of this engine. It has caused so many problems that, in practice, it has turned any dealership of the group into a place to approach with caution. It is not an exclusive phenomenon: Ford suffered a similar issue with the EcoBoost, which appears to have been partially resolved. The difference is that the Franco-Italian-American group has not closed its case.

The solution beginning to circulate involves replacing the belt with a timing chain kit. The uncomfortable detail: the development does not come from Stellantis, but from a third party unrelated to the brand. In other words, the customer buys the car, waits for the warranty to expire, and then manages with a kit that the company itself did not know — or did not want — to put on the market.

The chain is no guarantee either

Some argue that the solution for the new Puretech was changing the belt to a chain. This argument collapses when recalling how the timing chains in the group's diesel engines performed: known for being fragile, breaking, and ruining engines. Distrust is reasonable. No one should trust them until these chains accumulate eight or ten years without incidents.

The problem is not just technical, it is about credibility. And that recovers more slowly than an engine.

AdBlue, airbags, and after-sales service resembling a phone menu

The list of recalls and breakdowns is long enough to organize a telephone support menu. Defective Takata airbags. The oil-wetted belt. AdBlue. The charger for hybrids and electric vehicles. Each of those options corresponds to a real problem that has passed through the network workshops. Managing all that, under the previous head, left considerable confusion.

The diesel engine scrapped at 100,000 kilometers

In the van and commercial vehicle section, the diagnosis is even harsher. There are group diesel engines that, according to workshops handling them daily, reach 100,000 kilometers with the engine ready for the scrapyard. In delivery units with intensive use, PSA HDi engines currently last 60,000 kilometers, but many arrive at that figure with a liter less coolant. These are work vehicles, not luxuries, and here each breakdown translates into days without revenue.

What is missed: simple engines and durable cars

Nostalgia is not just nostalgia. Simple naturally aspirated engines still exist in the market: there are manufacturers maintaining 2.5 and 1.8-liter blocks with traditional technology, reliable with and without hybridization. The comparison hurts because it demonstrates that it wasn't impossible. It was a decision.

Some recall the 2.0 HDi and old 1.9D as the era when European diesel had a real competitive advantage. Others point to early Berlingo and Xsara models, or the C15 manufactured in Spain, as examples of durability no longer produced. A car that lasts 30 years is more eco-friendly than one that lasts seven and is full of batteries, argues part of the reasoning. Meanwhile, environmental labels send engines that still had life left in them to the scrapyard.

The paradox is well known: regulations meant to clean the air have filled workshops with expensive repairs and extended the life of old cars that no one wants to let go.

The customer who no longer returns

The most repeated case is not the angry enthusiast, but the rational buyer who gets tired. One owner spent nearly €40,000 on a 5008 BlueHDi six years ago, accumulated several breakdowns costing over €1,000, and eventually gave up: she sells the car to a company for around €6,000 and has bought another vehicle. Brand loyalty does not survive the third invoice.

Some claim the group is dead and doesn't know it. Others recall that Renault, the other major French generalist brand, maintains some future projection while others walk buried alive. Sales data for cheaper brands with reliable fruta point in the same direction.

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The lingering question is not whether the revised Puretech holds up. It is whether anyone at Stellantis has understood that the problem isn't fixed with a chain kit sold by a third party, but by respecting the customer again. For now, the market is providing the answer: more and more people are buying old cars and keeping them until the very end.