Citroën will extend recalls of the very popular Citroën C3 and DS3 to all of Europe, made dangerous by faulty Takata airbags, the Stellantis group brand announced on Tuesday.
A first wave of recalls is planned for the end of January, covering 98,000 of these vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2019, including 73,000 in France.
Airbags from the Japanese manufacturer Takata — which has since gone bankrupt — have shaken the automobile sector since 2014: they have caused several deaths around the world by projecting dangerous parts into the driver's face, due to a gas that ages poorly in hot, humid climates.
In France, 29 accidents linked to these airbags have been recorded, causing 11 deaths overseas and one in mainland France, said the Ministry of Transport.
Volkswagen, Nissan, BMW and Toyota, among others, have recalled millions of vehicles equipped with these dangerous airbags, with campaigns still underway today.
– Overseas –
The particularity of the campaign launched by Citroën and DS in spring 2024 is that it asked drivers – in southern Europe and overseas – to immobilize their vehicles until they are repaired.
The manufacturer therefore urgently mobilized its network of dealers, bombarded with requests from motorists fearing an accident, to lend thousands of cars as replacements and boost the production of new suitable airbags.
The decision to start the recalls in the south of France and Europe was taken “on the basis of long-term criteria of heat and humidity of climates”, i.e. the two factors which damage these airbags, a reminded Stellantis.
Stellantis emphasizes that it has already repaired the cars of “more than 94% of registered customers in southern Europe”, or 400,000 vehicles.
Volkswagen has launched a similar campaign – called “stop drive” – but only in Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana for affected Golf, Polo and Fox models.
The emphasis is in fact placed on Overseas, Polynesia and Reunion included, where airbags disintegrated more quickly and caused more accidents.
“The pace (of repairs) observed in Overseas Territories was not sufficient,” the Ministry of Transport told AFP.
-Recall campaigns have more difficulty convincing motorists to stop by the garage, according to the ministry.
The Vehicle and Engine Monitoring Service (SSMVM), the national authority responsible for monitoring the conformity of vehicles, asked in December 2024 all manufacturers and importers in overseas zones to recall before February 15 all vehicles concerned and to set up a “stop drive” for certain vehicles.
The prefectures also launched information campaigns there in January, particularly at service stations.
– Reminders to the north –
In mainland France, the SSMVM also asked manufacturers to provide an exhaustive list of vehicles concerned, as well as to justify the absence of recalls to date.
The State does not rule out “possible additional measures” if the reminders are not effective enough.
At the same time, several C3 owners have filed complaints against Stellantis for “endangering the lives of others” and “deceptive commercial practices”, requesting in particular financial compensation.
The UFC-Que Choisir also announced in a press release its intention to file a complaint.
This new recall campaign will gradually extend to the north of France and Germany, to Austria, Hungary, Moldova, Switzerland, Ukraine and Ireland, then to other European countries in the coming weeks, concerning a total of more than 869,000 vehicles including 400,000 in France, the group said in a press release.
If this is a standard recall campaign and not a “stop-drive”, it is because “the data currently available indicate a considerably lower level of risk than in the Southern region”, explains the constructor.
The first wave of this new campaign, which will last until June, was launched by letters sent since Monday January 20 which are primarily addressed to the owners of vehicles dating from 2009 and 2010. They are Please make an appointment at a dealership to have their airbags changed.
The staggering of recalls will “take into account the availability of parts and the capacity of the network to carry out the repair”, assured Stellantis.
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