Having to immobilize your car without notice for safety reasons: this is what tens of thousands of Citroën C3 and DS3 owners experienced in 2024. This campaign to replace Takata airbags had a very difficult start, with poor management criticized from all sides and the launch of collective legal action. But it is now coming to an end… at least for the south of France. After having limited this recall to an imaginary line located under Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand last year, Stellantis will now take care of the rest of France and several countries in northern Europe, such as Germany or Austria, for example.
This time, however, there will be no question of a “stop drive” type recall. The letter that will be sent will not ask you to stop driving immediately. The risk is considered less great in these regions, which are not exposed to a hot and humid climate. It is in fact these weather conditions which aggravate the aging of ammonium nitrate, the problematic chemical compound used by the Japanese equipment manufacturer Takata in its airbags. In the most serious cases, the airbag inflator can go so far as to explode, projecting potentially fatal metal debris at high speed. Overseas territories have paid a heavy price, and the government has also launched a communications campaign to encourage certain owners to check if they are not unknowingly affected. Nearly thirty brands are likely to be affected by this interminable affair. But at least two accidents, including one fatal, were also recorded in the south of the metropolis last year.
Three successive waves to come
For the north of France, Stellantis has also decided to proceed in a more staggered manner than in 2024. Three successive waves are planned, in order to ensure that the necessary parts are available when customers are contacted. The first wave is launched this Thursday, January 23, under the internal code NQ3 (instead of MK7 in 2024). It is limited to Citroën C3 and DS3 which were manufactured between 2008 and 2010. The choice to favor the oldest vehicles was made, because age tends to increase the risks of uncontrolled explosion of the airbag inflator. No less than 98,000 copies are affected in Europe, including 73,000 in France. The second round is scheduled for March 2025, for vehicles produced between 2011 and 2013, while vehicles assembled between 2014 and 2019 should close the ball from April 2025 and until around June. In total, ultimately, no less than 400,000 C3s and DS3s should have been corrected in France.
-The owners concerned should be notified by registered mail. But Citroën and DS also offer an online tool that allows you to find out if your car is affected by a recall campaign. To do this, all you need is its serial number, aka VIN, visible at the letter E on the registration document or at the base of the driver's side windshield. A little patience, however, because this information will not necessarily be updated for several weeks.
Shortened intervention time
The intervention planned in the workshop is logically identical to that which was carried out in 2024 in the departments and countries of the south. It therefore consists of replacing the driver's airbag and that of the passenger. But this time the garages will only have 72 minutes for this change, instead of 120 minutes last year. It is true that this time could sometimes seem overestimated, especially since some mechanics are now well versed in this exercise. This new recall linked to the Takata affair should therefore prove much less problematic for users than the previous one. On the other hand, it will still continue to occupy the Citroën and DS network well for a good part of 2025. Especially since the two brands are continuing in parallel the replacement of certain airbags on the Citroën C4, DS4/DS 4 and DS5/ DS 5 for the same reasons.
