After a first wave at the end of January involving 98,000 vehicles – including 73,000 in France – Citroën will extend recalls of Citroën C3 and DS3 to all of Europe, made dangerous by faulty Takata airbags, announced Tuesday January 21 the brand of the Stellantis group.
After the south of Europe and part of France, the recall campaign will continue in the north of France and in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Moldova, Switzerland, Ukraine and Ireland, then in other European countries in the weeks to come, i.e. a total of more than 869,000 vehicles, including 400,000 in France, the group said in a press release. Unlike the first campaign, the group will not request the immobilization of vehicles until they are repaired.
“Stellantis has closely monitored the situation of C3 and DS 3 vehicles (manufactured between 2009 and 2019) equipped with Takata airbags. Based on field tests and sample analyses, currently available data indicate a considerably lower level of risk than in the Southern region. This is why it is a standard campaign and not a “stop-drive”explains the manufacturer.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Takata airbags: the anger of the victims does not weaken against Stellantis
Read later
Vehicles dating from 2009 and 2010 treated as priority
The first wave of this new campaign, which will last until June, was launched by letters sent since Monday which are primarily aimed at owners of vehicles dating from 2009 and 2010. “Stellantis is prioritizing older vehicles located in the Northern region as available data indicates that these vehicles should be treated first due to the behavior of chemical components over time”explains Stellantis. This staggering of recalls will make it possible to “take into account the availability of parts and the capacity of the network to carry out the repair”. “We will have the number of parts produced for each wave launch, which allows a rapid response for our customers”assure Stellantis.
-The decision to start the recalls in the south of France and Europe had been taken “based on long-term climate heat and humidity criteria”reminds the group, the two factors which damage these airbags. Stellantis specifies that it has already repaired the cars of “more than 94% of registered customers in southern Europe”.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Defective airbags: after several fatal accidents, Citroën and DS Automobiles blamed
Read later
Around 12:50 p.m., Stellantis shares lost 1.40% in Paris, to 12.66 euros. Airbags from the Japanese manufacturer Takata – which has since gone bankrupt – have shaken the automobile sector since 2014: they have caused several deaths by projecting dangerous parts into the driver's face, due to a gas that ages poorly in hot and humid climates. Volkswagen, Nissan and Toyota have also recently launched vast recall campaigns concerning Takata airbags, but without any incentive to stop driving. BMW recalled more than 1.7 million vehicles in the United States and China this summer for the same problem.
