Citroen C3 and DS3 will be withdrawn from traffic... What will happen to those sold in Türkiye?

Japanese spare parts giant Takata's problematic airbags continue to cause fatal accidents. Following fatal accidents and complaints about French cars Citroen C3 and DS3, the French government has made a decision. Citroen has called for the immediate immobilization of all C3 and DS3 vehicles equipped with dangerous equipment such as Takata airbags in Europe. It is not yet known how the 441 thousand Citroën C3 and DS3 cars produced between 2003 and 2019 and located in Europe will be affected by this situation. There are 82 thousand of these vehicles in France. AIRBAG KILLS ANOTHER WOMAN In an accident that occurred on the Reims motorway in France on June 11, a 37-year-old woman was killed by Takata airbags. According to prosecutor François Schneider, the explosion of the airbag in the 2014 Citroen C3 caused very serious injuries that led to her death. According to Radio France’s investigation unit, the deceased hit the barriers on a dual carriageway while trying to avoid a truck, which triggered the airbag and exploded. LETTER FOR AIRBAGS BUT THE ADDRESS WAS WRONG Emergency services were immediately shocked to see the extent of the facial injuries, which are typical in accidents involving Takata airbags. According to Radio France, the deceased had not received a recall letter to replace the airbag in his Citroen C3, which dates back to 2014. Stellantis told AFP it had sent a registered letter to the victim on May 20. However, the address on the vehicle registration file was incorrect and the letter was returned to the sender. The Reims prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into manslaughter before relinquishing jurisdiction in favour of the Paris prosecutor’s office, which is handling the Takata case nationally. The Transport Ministry recorded 18 deaths and 25 injuries in France, including 16 deaths and 24 injuries overseas. VEHICLES WILL BE IMPOSED French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot has ordered all Citroen C3 and DS3 vehicles to be immobilized in order to replace the airbags. So far, some drivers have been asked to replace the airbags, but they have not been asked to stop driving their vehicles. ON-SITE REPAIRS WILL BE MADE Citroën finally reacted through its General Manager Xavier Chardon and called for a Europe-wide shutdown. This involves the immediate immobilization of all C3 and DS3 model vehicles, regardless of year of production, followed by repairs. WHAT WILL CAR OWNERS IN TURKEY DO? A recall is expected for the C3s, which are also popular in Turkey, and the airbags are expected to be replaced urgently. To identify vehicles included in the recall, vehicle owners should log in to the link https://www.citroen.com.tr/satis-sonrasi-hizmetler/geri-cagirma-kampanyasi.html and check whether they are included in the recall. If it is included in the recall, it is necessary to contact authorized services immediately to have the airbags replaced. TAKATA HAD FILED BANKRUPTCY Takata filed for bankruptcy in 2017. At the time, it had recalled or was expected to recall approximately 125 million vehicles worldwide through 2019.