A new wave of recalls of Citroën C3 and DS3 manufactured between 2009 and 2019 must take place at the end of January in the northern part of France. These vehicles, equipped with a defective airbag produced by the Japanese equipment manufacturer Takata, created controversy last May. We take stock.
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Citroën C3 and DS3 owners have not forgotten this controversy that arose at the beginning of last year. Vehicles manufactured by Stellantis between 2009 and 2019 were the subject of a major information campaign by the manufacturer, regarding defective and dangerous Takata brand airbags. The Japanese company went bankrupt in 2017, but left behind numerous faulty airbag systems, installed on 400,000 vehicles in France.
Behind this failure: the presence in the Takata airbags of a gas called “propellant”, which ages poorly over time and can cause ruptures in the safety system as well as the explosion of parts in the vehicle’s cabin.
A discovery which caused shock and concern among consumers, worried about being affected by the phenomenon, discovered in 2014 on vehicles branded Volkswagen, Nissan, BMW or Toyota.
Ten years later, the receipt of letters asking C3 or DS3 owners to “immediately stop driving” their vehicle and to “contact their dealer as quickly as possible” had fueled the psychosis.
This Tuesday, January 21, the Stellantis group announced that it was extending its recall campaign for Citroën C3 and DS3 to the north of France and to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Moldova, Switzerland, Ukraine and Ireland from the end of January. 73,000 vehicles are affected in France alone. And obviously, the Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Aisne and Oise are affected by this recall.
Letters were sent this Monday, January 20 to owners of vehicles built between 2009 and 2010, so that individuals can make an appointment at a dealership to change the famous faulty airbags.
This start of the campaign should last until June. When in doubt, a dedicated portal has been opened by Citroën, allowing you to check if your vehicle is affected by the recalls.
The recalls began in the south of France and Europe due to the heat and humidity criteria observed in these areas, which accentuates the aging of the propellant and increases the risk of damage.
The first consumer association in France, UFC-Que Choisir, officially announced that it had filed a complaint against Stellantis and Citroën before the Public Prosecutor of Versailles, after months of warning. It was the extension of this recall campaign to all of Europe that pushed the UFC-Que Choisir to take action, denouncing “chaotic management with disregard for human lives”.
“The late management and very variable geometry of vehicle recalls operated in France by the Stellantis group remains totally incomprehensible, as does the lack of effective initiatives on the part of the public authorities to compensate for the calamitous conduct, by this manufacturer, of its recalls”, writes the association, which requests compensation for consumers, as well as the opening of a commission of inquiry “to clarify the responsibilities of each of the actors in the organization and management of this new scandal automobile in France.
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