Peugeot Recalls 550 Cars in Australia Over Interior Door Handles That Can Stop Working

Image credit: Peugeot Australia

Peugeot has recalled 550 cars in Australia because a software fault can switch off the interior door handles while the engine is running. If it happens, one or more doors may not open from the inside. The recall was published on the federal vehicle recall register on 29 September 2026, covers five nameplates built across 2024 and 2025, and the fix is a free software update at a Peugeot dealership.

If you own a recent 308, e-308, 408, 3008 or 5008, the one thing that matters is whether your car's VIN is on the list. This piece covers exactly what the notice says, what it leaves out, how to check your VIN in about two minutes, what we found when we went through the VIN list ourselves, and what the recall means if you are looking at one of the run-out Peugeots on dealer floors right now.

What the recall notice says

The notice is recall number REC-006738, campaign number M4B, lodged by the Australian distributor, Inchcape European Automotive Pty Limited. It gives a year range of 2024 to 2025 and 550 affected units. The responsible regulator is the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.

The defect, in the notice's own words: "Due to a software issue, the interior door handles may deactivate unexpectedly while the engine is running. This may prevent one or more doors from being opened from inside the vehicle."

The hazard: "If the interior door handles deactivate, occupants may be unable to exit the vehicle in an emergency, increasing the risk of serious injury or death."

And what owners should do: "Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Peugeot requesting them to schedule an appointment with their local dealership to have a software update, free of charge." The contact is Peugeot Australia on 1800 307 607 or info@peugeot.com.au.

The variants on the notice

The notice lists nine variants, and we have reproduced them exactly as written, because the names do not line up neatly with the badges on the cars:

Two things follow from that list. First, it spans hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric versions, plus 308 GT hatch and wagon entries, so do not assume your car is clear because of what powers it. Second, the 2008 does not appear anywhere in it, and neither does a 3008 Allure. The notice names the 3008 only as a GT hybrid.

What the notice does not say

It is worth being clear about the gaps, because they are the questions owners ask first. The notice does not say how many times the fault has occurred, in Australia or anywhere else. It does not say whether anyone has been hurt. It does not say how long the software update takes at the dealer, and it does not say when Peugeot's letters to owners will go out. It also does not break the 550 cars down by model. We are not going to fill any of those gaps with guesses. If one of them matters to you, ask Peugeot Australia directly on 1800 307 607.

What we found in the VIN list

The notice links a VIN list as a CSV file. We downloaded it and counted it. After a single header line, it holds exactly 550 VINs, all 17 characters long, with no duplicates, which matches the 550 affected units on the notice. Every one starts with VR3. Split by their first eight characters, they fall into six groups:

We have deliberately not labelled those groups with model names. The Australian notice does not say which model each VIN belongs to, and a VIN prefix on its own is not a reliable guide. The French government's recall record for the same fault (more on that below) lists VIN ranges for the 3008 and the 5008 that both begin with the same eight characters, so even the largest group here cannot be pinned to one model from the prefix alone. The only way to know whether a particular car is affected is to check its full VIN.

One more thing turned up when we checked the list against Peugeot's other recent Australian recall. On 8 September 2026, Peugeot published REC-006716 (campaign M3T), which covers 62 2024 3008 GT, 308 GT and 408 GT variants over a software issue that can stop the instrument cluster showing the automatic emergency braking warning when the front camera is blocked. All 62 of those VINs are also on the door handle list. If you own one of those 62 cars, you have two open recalls, both fixed by the dealer at no charge, and it makes sense to ask for both to be done in the same visit.

How to check your VIN

Your VIN is the 17-character number on your registration papers. With it in hand, there are three official ways to check:

• The recall notice itself. Open REC-006738 on vehiclerecalls.gov.au, download the VIN list linked under "Identifying features", and search it for your VIN. If it is not there, your car is not part of this recall.
• Peugeot Australia's Safety Recall Check. Peugeot's recall campaigns page has a VIN lookup that shows safety recalls and update campaigns still to be carried out on a car, as well as those already done.
• Ask Peugeot. Call 1800 307 607 or email info@peugeot.com.au with your VIN.

Do not wait for the letter if you have bought the car second-hand or moved house since it was registered. A recall follows the car, not the original buyer, and a letter sent to an old address does not help anyone.

One warning from the regulator is worth passing on. The vehicle recalls site currently carries a scam alert: the department says it has been made aware of people impersonating representatives of manufacturers' dealerships and offering to collect cars to complete an outstanding recall. Book the update through Peugeot Australia or a Peugeot dealer you contact yourself, using the phone number above.

If a handle stops working before the fix

The recall notice gives no interim instruction. It does not tell owners to stop driving, and it does not describe a workaround. Peugeot Australia's recall page says, in general terms, that if your vehicle is identified as requiring a safety recall action, "you should contact an authorised PEUGEOT dealer as soon as possible".

So that is our advice too. If your VIN is on the list, book the update now rather than waiting for the letter. If an interior handle on your car has already stopped responding, contact Peugeot Australia on 1800 307 607 or your dealer, tell them exactly what happened and when, and ask what they want you to do until the update is done. We are not going to suggest a workaround that Peugeot itself has not published, because the right answer depends on the car and on what Peugeot knows about the fault.

The same fault overseas

This is not an Australia-only problem. France's government recall register, RappelConso, published a recall on 19 June 2026 (record SR/01735/26) for the current-generation 308, 408, 3008 and 5008. Its description is the same fault in slightly different words: the interior door handles can deactivate when the key is in engine mode, which could stop occupants getting out and could lead to injury in an accident. It gives build windows of 9 October 2023 to 9 July 2025 for the 3008, 1 November 2023 to 12 February 2026 for the 308, 3 November 2023 to 9 February 2026 for the 408, and 5 December 2023 to 10 July 2025 for the 5008, and tells owners to contact their dealer.

We have not been able to confirm a worldwide vehicle count from a regulator or from Stellantis, so we are not quoting one. We also could not reach Germany's KBA recall database to check its record. What the French record does establish is that Australia is part of a wider action on the same fault, and that the Australian build years sit inside the European production windows.

Image credit: Peugeot Australia

Is the repair free?

Yes. The notice says the software update is free of charge, and Peugeot Australia's recall page says "Safety recall checks and repairs are carried out free of charge." Road vehicle recalls in Australia are regulated by the federal Department of Infrastructure under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018, which is why they sit on vehiclerecalls.gov.au rather than the ACCC's general product recall site. That is general information, not legal advice. If a dealer tries to charge you for recall work, call Peugeot Australia first.

What this means if you are buying a Peugeot now

This recall lands at an awkward time for Peugeot in Australia. As we reported on 30 August, Inchcape, the company that has run Peugeot here since 2017, is winding down its distribution deal, and much of the range moved onto sharp drive-away offers to clear stock. At the time of that Peugeot price cuts report, the 308 GT Hybrid was advertised at $42,990 drive-away, the 408 GT Hybrid at $49,990, the 3008 GT Premium Hybrid at $56,990 and the 5008 GT Premium Hybrid at $59,990, all while stocks last. Stellantis has said Peugeot will stay in Australia, but no new distributor had been named when we published that piece. Offers change, so confirm the current figure with the dealer.

Here is the practical problem. The cars Peugeot sells today carry different names to the variants on the recall notice. Our directory lists them as the 308 GT Hybrid, the e-308 GT, the 408 GT Hybrid, the 3008 Allure Hybrid and 3008 GT Premium Hybrid, and the 5008 Allure Hybrid and 5008 GT Premium Hybrid. The recall covers cars built in 2024 and 2025, identified by VIN, so it does not follow that any of these variants "is recalled". It also does not follow that a car in run-out stock is clear. A car sitting on a dealer floor today could have been built in 2025, and the only way to know is its VIN.

So treat the recall as a checklist item, not a reason to walk away. A software update that the dealer does for free is about as simple as a recall fix gets. Before you sign, ask the dealer to check the VIN of the exact car against REC-006738 and REC-006716. If it is on either list, ask for written confirmation, such as the workshop job card, that the update has been done before delivery. If you are buying a used 2024 or 2025 Peugeot privately, run the VIN yourself and ask the seller for the same proof.

Given the distributor change, it is also worth asking who will carry out recall and warranty work after Inchcape steps back. The notice does not address that, and our August report recommended getting the answer in writing on delivery day. The same advice applies to any open recall on the car you are buying.

Compare the nameplates side by side

If the recall has you weighing one Peugeot against another, or against the rest of the market, here are the Peugeot variants on sale today whose nameplates appear in the notice. Pick any two. Being listed here does not mean a car is affected.

For a wider cross-shop against rival hybrids and electric cars, the CarSorted comparison tool takes any combination from the full directory.

How this compares with other recalls this year

By headcount this is a small campaign. It is almost exactly the size of the Honda Civic, Accord and ZR-V seatback recall (554 vehicles), and smaller than the Cupra steering software recall (920) or the Toyota Camry cluster software recall (16,238). The closest in subject is the Mercedes-Benz door-lock recall, which covered 58,822 cars, but that fault was about a car rolling away because auto park might not engage, not about occupants getting out.

A small number does not make it a small problem for the owners involved. The notice itself names serious injury or death as the risk, and for the 550 households with a car on the list, the size of the campaign is irrelevant. Check the VIN, book the update and keep the paperwork.

What owners should do this week

• Check your VIN against the REC-006738 list or Peugeot's Safety Recall Check, and REC-006716 while you are there.
• If it is listed, book the free update with a Peugeot dealer now rather than waiting for the letter.
• If a handle has already stopped working, call Peugeot Australia on 1800 307 607 and report it.
• Keep the job card showing the update was done. It is the proof the next buyer will ask for.