Citroën extends its massive C3 recall across Europe. The consumer association UFC-Que Choisir has filed a complaint for “deceptive commercial practices, aggravated deception and deliberate endangering of the lives of others”, in the case of defective Takata airbags. Explanations.
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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.
“You must quickly find out if your car is affected and have the repairs carried out,” warned the spokesperson for the Mobilité Club France Yves Carra, this Wednesday on franceinfo concerning the Takata airbags, installed on certain Citroën car models. C3 and DS3 equipped with the defective Takata airbag throughout Europe and the French Overseas Territories.
L’UFC-What to choose (consumer association), announced this Tuesday in a press release sent to Agence Radio France, to file a complaint for “deceptive commercial practices, aggravated deception and deliberate endangering of the lives of others”, in the case of defective Takata airbags. An investigation by the Radio France investigation unit revealed on Wednesday January 8 that at least fifteen people had been killed by the explosion of these defective airbags in France while, from 2016, internal alerts were launched on their dangerousness at Stellantis.
>> Also read: “Departure of executives”, “rise to power of the Agnelli family”: should we be worried about the Stellantis site in Belchamp?
The consumer association is also calling for “a parliamentary commission of inquiry to face the persistent gray areas in the more than chaotic management of the Takata airbag scandal”. In view of the scale of “the scandal and the dysfunctions noted, both by manufacturers and public authorities”, the UFC-Que Choisir “finally calls on the company Automobiles Citroën to compensate without delay, and for all damages linked to the forced immobilization of their vehicle, the owners are victims”, we can read in this press release.
The complaint is filed with the Versailles public prosecutor. Nearly 2 years after the first recall campaigns in France, the UFC-Que Choisir regrets “the absence of announcement by the public authorities of a global investigation into the origin and responsibilities of this scandal, mainly highlighting in question, the Stellantis group and Citroën”. This “is no longer acceptable”, denounces the UFC-Que Choisir. There is “chaotic management” of this affair “with disregard for human lives”. The association also urges parliamentarians to create this “commission of inquiry in order to collect all the elements of information allowing to clarify the responsibilities of each of the actors in the organization and management of this new automobile scandal in France”.
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