how to know if your car is affected

The Ministry of Transport is launching an information campaign on the internet. You can check on the dedicated site if your car is on the list of recalled cars.

The Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday January 8 that it was launching a campaign to alert motorists about vehicle recalls linked to dangerous airbags, according to information from the Radio France investigation unit.

At least 100,000 owners affected by these vehicles in Overseas France have still not contacted their dealers to have their airbags changed even though they are at mortal risk. The explosive capsules, which inflate the airbag cushions, deteriorate more quickly under the effect of humidity and explode, projecting pieces of metal which can kill the driver.

But these recalls also affect the metropolis where there are more than half a million motorists still affected, according to partial figures. Beyond Citroën and DS (Stellantis group), more than twenty brands and nearly a hundred car models are equipped with these airbags: Volkswagen, BMW, Seat, Mazda, Toyota, Ford, Mercedes, Opel …

The ministry is therefore launching a website at the beginning of January so that motorists can find out if their vehicle is in the list of recalled models, in particular by checking their chassis number on the manufacturers' websites. The ministry also distributed posters in service stations in the Antilles and Guyana.

This campaign was decided in mid-December 2024 while several media outlets, including the Radio France investigation unit, are investigating the fatal accidents caused by these airbags from the Japanese supplier Takata. The investigation unit has identified around fifteen deaths and several dozen injured since 2016 in the Antilles, Guyana and Reunion, but also in mainland France. Stellantis admitted to being implicated in around twenty cases. The last fatal accident occurred on December 8, 2024 in Guadeloupe and this time concerned a Volkswagen Polo.

If your vehicle was built between 1998 and 2019, check your letters or contact the manufacturer to see if you are affected. If your vehicle requires intervention, contact a mechanic for the brand of your vehicle as quickly as possible to change the airbags. The repair is free and results in vehicle downtime of less than half a day.