{"id":762,"date":"2025-06-12T07:31:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T07:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcap.blog\/?p=762"},"modified":"2025-06-18T17:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:37:08","slug":"customer-corner-stellantis-slow-rotting-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tcap.blog\/2025\/06\/12\/customer-corner-stellantis-slow-rotting-empire\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Corner : Stellantis Slow-Rotting Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A Room That Stinks<\/strong>
You walk in and sense it: the sour whiff of neglect that clings like grease to your overalls. That\u2019s Stellantis today – a once-vaunted auto giant now riddled with systemic failures. Years of cutting corners have compiled a long wrap sheet. The rot seeps through airbags, electronics, powertrains and boardrooms. And it\u2019s spreading fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airbags: Lethal Time Bombs<\/strong>
In July 2023 a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500\u2019s Takata airbag ruptured, killing the passenger. NHTSA then issued an urgent \u201cDo Not Drive\u201d warning and estimated roughly 84,000 unrepaired trucks still on the road, each at grave risk of shrapnel injuries or worse (carpro.com<\/a>). A \u201cDo Not Drive\u201d notice isn\u2019t a routine recall- it\u2019s a confession: we dropped the ball so badly lives were lost.
Owners pleaded for fixes; Stellantis repeated free replacements. But when ageing inflators can explode or detonate unpredictably, \u201cfix\u201d feels like too little, too late. The recall outreach has spanned years, yet tens of thousands remain unrepaired (reuters.com<\/a>). That many trucks still exposed to a known killer speaks volumes about priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airbag Control Unit Failures: Sleeping on the Job<\/strong>
Beyond Takata, a class action alleges ZF\u2011TRW airbag control units (ACUs) in many Ram 1500s (circa 2009\u20132012) may not deploy airbags in a crash, effectively leaving occupants unprotected (lieffcabraser.com<\/a>) (carcomplaints.com<\/a>). The lawsuit claims electrical overstress in the ACU\u2019s ASIC can render the \u201cbrain\u201d of the restraint system inert. Millions of vehicles play Russian roulette every time they hit the road.
ZF\u2011TRW and vehicle makers knew of issues for years before public action (classaction.org<\/a>) (carcomplaints.com<\/a>). Yet warnings and recalls lagged\u2014and even now many owners remain unaware. When the system meant to save you stays asleep at the wheel, that\u2019s not an accident; it\u2019s a pattern of negligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Door Panels and Interiors: Signs of Shoddy Buil<\/strong>
Owners report door panels detaching mid-drive on Charger and Challenger models, as documented in numerous NHTSA complaints and forum posts, though specifics vary; check nhtsa.gov complaint database for details (autosafety.org<\/a>). Warping interiors and loose fittings aren\u2019t mere annoyances – they threaten safety if airbags or wiring are compromised.
You see peeling panels, rattles and trim falling off. It shouts: quality control lost its edge. When your cabin betrays you, trust in the brand evaporates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transmission Nightmares: Stranded on the Fast Lane<\/strong>
Grand Caravan drivers recount sudden transmission failures on highways – echoed in class-action filings over ZF 9HP transmissions and extended-warranty settlements (topclassactions.com<\/a>). Reports describe rough, erratic shifting, sudden loss of propulsion or harsh engagement – potentially fatal at speed.
FCA settled prior class actions acknowledging the hazard, yet issues persist in used fleets. For owners, the fear isn\u2019t hypothetical: you cruise along, then the gearbox quits with zero warning. No smooth ride when trust in the drivetrain is shattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety Recalls & \u201cFixes\u201d: Papering Over Cracks<\/strong>
Stellantis issues stop-drive or \u201cDo Not Drive\u201d notices for Takata and other defects. They offer free repairs and software updates. But repeated campaigns across models show failures aren\u2019t isolated. When one recall ends, another emerges. Each fix feels like a band-aid on a wound that never heals.
Net-zero pledges and glossy ESG reports can\u2019t mask airbag fatalities or powertrain breakdowns. A company that preaches innovation but ships lethal defects betrays its customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership Turmoil: Captain Abandons Ship<\/strong>
Carlos Tavares quit abruptly as Stellantis CEO on 1 Dec 2024 amid faltering US Jeep\/Ram sales and board clashes over strategy; shares plunged on the news as investors panicked (reuters.com<\/a>). An interim committee under John Elkann scrambles to contain fallout even as reputational wounds deepen (reuters.com<\/a>).
When your head chef bails mid-service, you know the kitchen\u2019s on fire. Frequent leadership shake-ups signal misaligned priorities: cost cuts over quality, short-term margins over long-term safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culture of Shrugging at Disaster<\/strong>
How do airbags explode? How do ACUs stay silent in crashes? How do door panels detach, transmissions die? These aren\u2019t freak events\u2014they reflect a culture that tolerates risk, delays transparency and buries problems until forced into the open. Each class action or NHTSA warning is not a one-off mistake; it\u2019s proof of systemic tolerance for failure.
Forums blaze with angry owners. Fleets tally downtime and repair bills. Investors fret over liability and brand erosion. Yet Stellantis churns out PR puff pieces about \u201ccommunity\u201d and \u201cinnovation,\u201d hoping the gloss distracts from the wreckage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cummins & the Company They Keep<\/strong>
If Cummins thinks cosying up to Stellantis boosts credibility, think again. Birds of a feather flock into the same stink. Partnering with a slow-rotting empire risks reputational bleed for suppliers, fleets and investors. When your engine tech sits alongside lethal airbags and flaky transmissions, trust in the entire supply chain erodes. When you cosy up to a company with this record, your own scandal feels like it was inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dig In Yourself:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n