It is a piece of equipment designed to save lives, but it is at the center of a major scandal. Defective airbags from the Japanese company Takata, which were installed in almost one in five vehicles in the years 2000 and 2010, are the cause of dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries around the world. A case that began more than 15 years ago in the United States and is currently causing a wave of urgent recalls in Europe and, in particular, in France.
A very rare “Stop Driving” reminder
This withdrawal procedure is still quite common. It allows you to correct a more or less important defect observed in vehicles. On the website of the public service Rappel Conso, for example, there are currently more than 1,200 cases in the category “cars, motorcycles and scooters” between 2018 and today.
What is surprising about the recall carried out since spring by Citroën is the request to the affected owners to no longer drive the vehicle, something that remains extremely rare. Even in this context of Takata airbags in Europe, with recalls until now called “routine”, such as last January of the Seat Tarraco produced between January 2019 and February 2020, with a French leaf that resumes automatically (and visibly a little confused with an incomplete period in question) the recovery sheet at European level.
“Citroën asks you to immediately stop driving your vehicle,” reads the letter sent by the French brand to more than 246,000 C3 and DS3 owners, whom we have consulted.
An element found on the European recall sheet distributed on May 3 for these Citroën C3 and DS3, with the mention “Request to stop circulating.”
This indication, however, mysteriously disappears in the transposition of this sheet to the French “Rappel Conso”. The first two published pages have been removed (as can be seen by clicking on the two links in our May 15 article) and the three sheets still available simply note a risk of “injury” and simply “contact dealer.” We are still waiting for a response from state services on this point.
Why this precautionary principle at Citroën?
In the United States, the first news about defective airbags dates back to 2008, with the first recalls of Honda brand models, as an article in Les Echos recalls. But it was in 2014 when the matter gained momentum: a series of suspicious accidents led to the opening of an extensive investigation by the US road safety agency, the NHTSA.
The results are truly uplifting: defective Takata airbags are to blame for accidents causing 27 deaths and more than 400 injuries. The company admitted to having hidden the detected defects and declared bankruptcy in 2017, plagued by debt, and its activities were taken over by Key Safety Systems (KSS), the US subsidiary of the Chinese group Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp.
Owners of several models of different brands (BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, etc.) then receive this request to no longer drive the vehicle, as indicated. the dedicated page on the NHTSA website.
A precautionary measure to avoid new tragedies, as would also occur with the latest Citroën and DS recalls.
The first recalls were launched in 2020 in the overseas departments after suspicious accidents affecting the Citroën C3 and DS3. In fact, it is in hot and humid regions where the explosive component of these airbags, ammonium nitrate, can cause an uncontrolled explosion. Debris thrown at more than 300 km/h can cause serious injury or even death.
“In France, there are several judicial investigations open and, eliminating various information, 10 dead and 11 seriously injured would be identified as victims of these airbags since 2020,” indicated the firm Coppet Avocats, which supports the families of the victims.
A Stellantis spokesperson also confirmed to us that it was precisely these fatal accidents that led Citroën and DS to withdraw the models affected by this “Stop Drive” mention, which is not the case, for example, of other brands such as Opel. or other recalled vehicles (C4, DS4 and DS5).
What is the reason for this gap?
Many are surprised by this recall carried out by Citroën in 2024 for models manufactured from 2009 onwards. But it is precisely the poor aging of this explosive airbag trigger that is the origin of the problem of uncontrolled explosion.
This is the first accident to have occurred in mainland France that has visibly raised alarm bells in Europe.
“In November 2023, in the Pyrenees, a 51-year-old man died at the wheel of his C3, apparently due to the explosion of his airbag. It would be the first time (…) The public authorities then asked Citroën to do it. accelerate a withdrawal campaign already planned for January,” says a study by Les Echos published on June 11.
The decision was then made to concentrate on the southern half of France, with a greater risk of “accelerated” deterioration of the airbags.
In the United States, where the case is older, recalls are still ongoing. The following clip, released by NHTSA in October 2023, summarizes the challenge of this operation, which is to still recall tens of millions of vehicles.
How many vehicles affected?
In the United States, the NHTS estimates that 67 million airbags have been removed from the market. There is no count yet for Europe, but for the brands of the Stellantis group alone, it is estimated that there are 8 million cars potentially affected.
An important point to keep in mind: so far only the C3 and DS3 have been subject to this “Stop Drive” recall, but it must be taken into account that other accidents and the evolution of ongoing investigations could lead to new recalls. of this type.
How do you know if your vehicle is affected?
The situation remains complex for owners of C3 and DS3 manufactured between 2009 and 2019. Either the vehicle has been withdrawn from the market and we must expect the manufacturer to respect its commitments: repair is assured as soon as possible and the provision of a replacement solution. mobility.
But what if your C3 or DS3 hasn’t been recalled? A priori, the risk is not proven and therefore it can be driven in complete safety. Citroën and other affected brands will continue to launch recall campaigns to replace defective airbags. UFC Que Choisir has published a non-exhaustive list of brands, models and production dates of Takata airbags.
It is also important not to go into psychosis. An expert confided to our Auto Plus colleagues in the June 14 edition that deactivating the airbags is still a very bad idea, especially since the cushion is part of “a global safety system”, in particular in relation to the ” programmed seat belts. safety”. The latter, during an impact, “exert less pressure on the rib cage to limit the risk of injuries in this area”, precisely counting on the function of the airbag. Conclusion: “Therefore, by disconnecting the airbag, the “The risk of an impact of this type increases considerably.”
“The objective is not to question the usefulness of an airbag in good condition or to create a wave of panic, but to prevent known and recognized consequences,” the company Coppet, which defends the families of the victims, recalls on its website.
Source: BFM TV
