Dive Brief:
- Stellantis North America, formally FCA US, has recalled roughly 332,000 vehicles for a problem with the seat belt buckle switch sensor that could prevent the front seat airbag from deploying as intended, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The recalled models include the 2017-2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia, 2018-2025 Alfa Romeo Stelvio, 2024 Fiat 500E, and 2019-2023 Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X.
- In a July 4 notice to dealers, FCA US says it will repair the seat belt connector by directly wiring the sensor to the harness. However, a fix is not expected to be available until Q3 of this year.
Dive Insight:
The defect is present in around 10% of the recalled models. The problem was discovered after Jeep Chrysler parent Stellantis received reports from customers in Europe of the airbag light remaining on along with a warning buzzer, even if the front seat belts were fastened.
On Nov. 9, 2023, the European Reactivity process Acceleration for Customer Enthusiasm organization of Stellantis’ Europe Customer Experience department opened an investigation for the problem.
After reviewing supplier data through June, the Stellantis Europe CX organization determined that the affected vehicles may have been built with a faulty connector on the seat belt buckle hall effect sensor, which was supplied by the ZF Group.
As of June 26, Stellantis Europe also identified 578 field reports in North America potentially related to this issue. The majority of the recalled vehicles (209,002) are 2019-2023 Jeep Renegade models, which were produced in Italy on the same line as the Fiat 500X and exported to North America. The Renegade has since been discontinued in the U.S. with 2023 being the last model year sold.
As a precaution, Stellantis decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall of the affected vehicles on June 27. The automaker is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue in Europe or the North American market.
Dealers will repair the connection, free of charge once a remedy is available later this year. Owner notification letters are expecting to be mailed Aug. 22.
This is Stellantis’ second major recall in recent weeks. In June, the company announced it was recalling roughly 1 million vehicles to fix a problem where the rearview camera can fail to display on the vehicle’s infotainment screen.
Clarification: This story was updated to clarify FCA US also does business as Stellantis North America.
