Takata airbags: Transport Minister requests grounding of all Citroën C3s affected by recall

The Minister of Transport requested on Tuesday, June 17, the immobilization of all Citroën C3s and DS3s requiring airbag replacement, including a faulty model that claimed a second victim in mainland France on June 11 .

Philippe Tabarot told AFP that he had summoned Citroën executives and requested a "stop-drive" measure for "all C3 and DS3 vehicles subject to a recall." Until now, some drivers had been asked to replace their airbags, but not to stop using their vehicles.

Last February, Citroën extended the "Stop Drive" recall for C3 and DS3 cars already in effect in the south of the country to the north of a Clermont-Lyon line. This recall, asking drivers to immediately stop driving their vehicles, only affected older models, registered between 2008 and 2013.

Owners of affected vehicles between 2014 and 2019 were also contacted starting in May, according to AFP, but without any obligation to stop driving.

The Minister of Transport is now requesting that all vehicles affected by the recall be subject to this immobilization requirement, including the most recent vehicles registered up to 2019. This extension is in line with the recall implemented since April 2024 in the south of France and Europe.

On June 11, a 37-year-old mother lost her life, and a 13-year-old girl, also in the vehicle, was injured, after a Takata airbag exploded in Reims (Marne). According to a judicial source, their car was subject to the recall, but it dated from 2014, BFMTV learned. It was therefore technically not affected by the stop-drive system.

Another death linked to a defective airbag deployment was recorded in Guadeloupe at the end of March. Until this death was announced, the Ministry of Transport had recorded 29 accidents resulting in eleven deaths overseas and one in mainland France.

Of the more than 690,000 Citroën C3s and DS3s equipped with these faulty airbags, 481,000 have been treated, Stellantis told AFP on Tuesday, representing 69.7% of the vehicles concerned.