The parent group of Citroen has issued a ‘stop drive’ action for two popular older models that went off sale more than half a decade ago, after a well-documented fault killed a driver in France.
Stellantis has told affected UK owners of the second-generation Citroen C3 and Mk1 DS3 hot hatches produced between 2009 and 2019 to immediately stop using their cars to check they do not have an outstanding recall notice.
The Europe-wide alert has been issued over potentially lethal airbags fitted to the cars, which were supplied by Takata – the company that’s now linked to 36 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and safety recalls for tens of millions of vehicles around the world for the same issue.
One of the defective airbags is said to have led to the death of woman in Reims earlier this month after she swerved in her C3 to avoid hitting an HGV but collided with a safety barrier. It is said to be the second fatal incident recorded in France linked to the deadly airbags.
Following the incident, French officials increased pressure on Stellantis to remove remaining affected models from the road, with around 30 per cent of C3s and DS3s in the country believed to still have the defective devices in place.
Stellantis UK says it is of ‘paramount importance’ that owners of Citroen C3s and DS3 in Britain who may have changed either their address or contact details update this information with the DVLA to ensure the car maker can make contact to have their cars rectified as soon as possible.
Stellantis has told affected UK owners of the second-generation Citroen C3 (pictured) and Mk1 DS3 hot hatches produced between 2009 and 2019 to immediately stop using their cars, after a woman in France was killed by the faulty Takata airbag in her vehicle
Last week, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called for all C3 and DS3 models with Takata airbags to be pulled off the road in the country with immediate effect following the fatal incident, which took place on 11 June.
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), the 37-year-old woman died after the airbag in her 2014 Citroen C3 exploded when the car scraped a motorway barrier after she had taken evasive action to try to avoid a lorry.
Metal fragments from the exploding airbag struck her in the face. A teenage passenger was also injured, according to the report.
Stellantis said it had sent the woman a registered letter on 20 May warning her about the airbag, but the address was incorrect, and the letter was returned.
Some 70 per cent of cars in use in France are believed to have had their airbags replaced, with Citroen finding it difficult to contact the remaining owners.
This is a common problem with older cars recalled, which would have changed hands at least once over the years. As a result, manufacturers are unable to source the existing keeper’s details, especially if they no longer use an authorised Citroen dealer for servicing and maintenance of their vehicles.
Yet Tabarot dubbed the existing recall rate in France ‘unacceptable and scandalous’, saying the company’s response had ‘not matched the scale of the risk’.
Shortly after his comments on Tuesday, Citroen announced it was placing all affected vehicles under a stop-drive order across Europe, with Stellantis UK submitting its official statement on Friday.
The recall order relates to all second-generation Citroen C3s, which were manufactured between 2009 and 2016
The first-generation Citroen-branded DS3 – produced between 2009 and 2016 – is also impacted, with owners who have yet to action the airbag recall notice told to stop driving their vehicles
The Citroen DS3 in 2016 became the DS3 under new spin-off brand DS Automobiles. These first-generation cars – produced up to 2019 – are also affected
The recall order relates to all second-generation Citroen C3s, which were manufactured between 2009 and 2016, and first-generation Citroen DS3s produced between 2009 and 2016 and later under the DS Automobiles brand – simply called DS3 – up to 2019.
There are reportedly 441,000 affected cars still being driven in Europe with Takata airbags, of which 82,000 are in France.
The Takata airbag recall is by far the world’s biggest vehicle call back of all time, let alone the largest scale safety recall the automotive sector has ever seen.
Potential faults were first raised in 2006, when Takata officials said some of its airbag inflators expanded with too much force, sending metal shrapnel into cars, posing massive risk to the health of the driver and occupants.
More than 100 million cars sold by a variety of brands were affected globally by the recall, which impacts cars dating back as early as the mid-1990s.
All affected C3 and DS3 owners will be notified by letter, Stellantis UK said.
However, owners of affected cars are urged to check whether their motor has been recalled by entering the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the recall page of the Citroen UK website. The VIN can be found on the V5 registration document for the car.
Owners of Citroens with Takata airbags still in situ must register their vehicle for a repair as soon as possible either online or by calling the company’s recall helpline on 0800 917 9285, or by calling Citroen customer care on 0800 093 9393.
According to Radio France Internationale, a 37-year-old woman died after the airbag in her 2014 Citroen C3 exploded when the car scraped a motorway barrier in Reims
Stellantis UK said in a statement issued on Friday: ‘Whilst there have been no reported instances in the UK, Stellantis has decided to deploy a stop-drive order for all impacted vehicles across Europe including the UK’
‘Vehicles included in this new stop-drive action in the UK, were already part of an ongoing comprehensive recall campaign that started over one year ago, first in Southern Europe and then expanded northwards,’ Stellantis UK said.
‘Recall decisions, especially stop-drive actions, are based on multiple factors, including airbag specifications, vehicle age and usage, climate conditions, and notifications from regulatory authorities.
‘Whilst there have been no reported instances in the UK, Stellantis has decided to deploy a stop-drive order for all impacted vehicles across Europe including the UK.
‘This decision underscores the company’s unwavering commitment to customer safety.’
It added: ‘Stellantis UK is mobilising its full network of suppliers, retailers and manufacturing plant to support this action and ensure the fastest, safest and most convenient solution for each customer.
‘Stellantis remains fully committed to acting swiftly, transparently, and responsibly in addressing this issue.’
Earlier this year, experts suggested there are over 3.2 million potentially faulty and unsafe cars and vans produced between 2018 and 2023 on Britain’s roads today that have never been checked, despite safety recalls being issued by the manufacturers.
Data experts Auto Data Solutions (ADS) warned that dealers are failing to maintain customer relationships, which leaves many drivers unaware that their car is subject to a recall, despite manufactures issuing a notice.
Calling it ‘the biggest wake-up call yet for dealers to begin taking the maintenance of customer databases more seriously’, Jon Sheard, operations director at ADS, said: ‘Failure to keep track of customers not only lets down the manufacturers who are fulfilling their duty of care by notifying authorities and drivers to potential issues but also motorists who have a right to know that their vehicle should be professionally checked.’
Drivers are also at risk of getting themselves into hot water and invalidating their insurance if a known recall notice on their car has not been addressed.
A collision found to have been caused by a mechanical fault that you’ve failed to have remedied despite a recall notice could invalidate your insurance, warns the RAC.
BBC consumer champion Matt Allwright told Morning Live in March that ‘particularly if it’s a serious safety defect and it results in someone being injured or worse, then it could be on you’.
He added: ‘If it turns out that you didn’t take the car in for a recall when you were made aware of it, then your insurance company could say you weren’t entirely doing your due diligence on that car to make sure you knew everything about that car.’
The DVSA also points out that if police find you at the wheel of a car with a major safety recall you can be ‘fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get three penalty points for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition’.
