“It’s like I took a bullet.” Our colleagues from Radio France begin by discussing le cas by Tom Benqueta young 19-year-old from Béarn who, when he was hit by a car arriving in front of him in November 2023, received a two-centimeter metal object in his shoulder.
This foreign body comes from the airbag of the Japanese supplier Takata of its Citroën C3. His family will realize after some research that he is not the only victim of this air cushion supposed to ensure safety.
Since 2016, 15 people have already been killed in France, including 14 overseas. Among them, Emmanuelle, died at the age of 39 in the accident of her DS3 in Reunion.
What's wrong with these airbags?
When the gas to inflate the airbag cushions is ejected, the part bursts. Pieces of metal that can “for example, piercing your eye”specifies an automotive expert.
And if this piece explodes, it's because it's made up of “ammonium nitrate crystals which transform into a very unstable gas“. In addition, the capsule is not waterproof and is subject to temperature variations and humidity.
How long has this defect been known?
At least ten years. In 2014, whistleblowers in the United States revealed that the company had been hiding poor test results for years.
According to a former engineer from the Japanese supplier and author of a book on the subject released in 2019, capsules were already exploding in 2000. But Takata still chose to install hundreds of millions of airbags on vehicles.
In France, the survey specifies, the Honda brand has had its airbags changed since 2013, Toyota has been working on it since 2015. But Citroën continues to use this supplier. Takata then assures its customers that their new generation of airbags no longer has any problems.
“You want to believe it! Because otherwise, it’s you who has a huge problem”recognizes a former senior executive in the automobile industry with Radio France. Ammonium nitrate technology is less expensive than other existing formulations and is well suited to city cars.
Note that Renault will not use it. “A former safety manager of the manufacturer, also a former soldier, knows the dangers of ammonium nitrate well and does not want it in a car”specifies the investigation.
What brands and vehicles are affected?
At least thirty manufacturers and more than a hundred models are affected. As for French victims, there are around thirty accidents with Citroën C3, DS3, Mazda 6, Toyota Yaris, Ford, Volkswagen Polo, Seat Léon and BMW 3 series.
On May 17, 2024, the Stellantis group (Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot…) is offering a “stop drive”.
A letter sent to 300,000 motorists asks them to immediately stop driving their vehicle, including in the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var.
Since January 8, 2025, the government has published on the website of the Ministries of Land Planning and Ecological Transition the list of brands affected by the recall. It concerns vehicles manufactured between 1998 and 2019 and which have been equipped with Takata airbags.
If your vehicle is affected, the site invites you to contact “as quickly as possible, a repairer/garage of the vehicle brand can carry out the airbag change”.
