Stellantis throws a lifeline to early EV owners with charger trouble

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Stellantis is rolling out an extended special coverage program for owners of older electric vehicles equipped with the troubled on-board charger. The measure applies to cars fitted with the first-generation 11 kW unit supplied by Mahle. Coverage runs for up to 8 years or 160,000 km from the date of first registration, whichever comes first.

This is not about the battery but about the on-board charger — the component that converts AC power into a form the battery can accept while charging at a wallbox or public AC station. According to Stellantis, in some vehicles this unit can malfunction under certain conditions: AC charging either becomes unreliable or stops working altogether, leaving the car with only DC fast charging as an option. Under the extended coverage, the dealer must perform diagnosis, repair or replacement free of charge, provided the car falls within the age and mileage limits. No additional conditions apply to customers.

The program covers all affected vehicles built up to the end of production of this generation of on-board chargers — that is, through October 2023. In the Netherlands alone, around 33,000 EVs from the 2019–2023 period potentially fall under the program. Current Stellantis EVs already use a next-generation on-board charger with reliability improvements.

“Customer satisfaction is our top priority. After analyzing the root cause of the charging issues and implementing technical solutions, we are now taking the next step — extended special coverage and a compensation scheme for customers who have already incurred costs,” said Sander Jansen, Country Manager of Stellantis Nederland.

On top of the coverage itself, Stellantis is launching an online platform to compensate customers who previously paid out of pocket to replace a faulty on-board charger at an authorized dealer. Eligible owners will be able to submit a refund request through the platform. Further details and the launch date are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

According to the manufacturer, replacing an OBC takes between 2.5 and 3.5 hours on average, depending on the model. The work is carried out free of charge under the extended coverage.

For used EV buyers this is an important nuance. The Peugeot e-208, Opel Corsa-e, Opel Mokka-e, Peugeot e-2008 and Citroën e-C4 are all in scope. Where the risk of an expensive charger repair used to deter potential buyers, the extended coverage makes these cars much easier to read on the second-hand market. Still, before signing anything, it is worth checking the VIN, the service history and the program’s applicability to the specific vehicle.