This is an extraordinary recall launched by Citroën a few years ago. almost three months. In fact, thousands of Citroën C3 and DS3 owners have found themselves unable to drive their vehicle before replacing the potentially dangerous airbag fitted during production between 2009 and 2019 – more than 10 years ago for some.
Stellantis reacted too late
A consumer group has just filed a complaint against in this case of defective airbags for “endangering the lives of others” and “questionable commercial practices”. An action carried out by the MyLeo platform and in particular by Christophe Lèguevaques, one of the lawyers in charge of the case.
“My clients are mainly criticising Stellantis for having been aware of the dangers of these airbags since 2014 and for not having done much or anything to prevent and protect them,” explains this lawyer, who was a guest on Good Evening Business on Tuesday 30 July.
“The Stellantis Group has been criticised for prioritising profitability over consumer safety,” he said.
Beginning of the investigation
So far, six plaintiffs have come forward in this class action, which may not seem like much given the scale of this recall:
“There are already 1,350 people registered in the class action, but for reasons of ease of investigation we prefer to leave with six people. For the others, it will come when the time comes. For us, the important thing was to get the investigation started as quickly as possible to look for evidence at the highest levels of Stellantis.”
Airbag replacements are extended
For Maître Christophe Lèguevaques, Stellantis was too slow to react, since 2014, but also when this massive recall was launched this year:
“When they decided in February 2024 to launch this ‘Stop Drive’ recall, they did not even think of ordering the airbags needed for this replacement, which explains why today there is a backlog among mechanics, who do not have the necessary parts.”
For him, this explains the delay of this withdrawal, planned until July and much later in the year, and perhaps in 2025:
“This is unbearable for consumers, especially since they are told not to drive the vehicle because it is dangerous, even fatal.”
But how can we explain this lack of anticipation on the part of a group like Stellantis?
According to the lawyer, “Stellantis wanted to sweep the dust under the carpet, thinking that they would not be involved in this scandal that had affected other industrial groups in the world.”
Compensate for “all damages”
A “miscalculation, in the short term, which could weigh on the company’s market value” and cost it “several billion euros”. For the moment, 250,000 models have been recalled in the south of France, but the operation should soon be extended to the rest of the country.
The class action demands “compensation for all damages”, recalls Christophe Lèguevaques:
“Loss of enjoyment, they are prohibited from using their vehicle (…), moral damage, they have driven a dangerous vehicle for years and it is unbearable, and finally an economic loss”, with a loss of value on the second-hand market.
This Monday, Stellantis recalled to continue its efforts to successfully complete this withdrawal, with The challenge of providing replacement vehicles to the many affected customers.. On the part of Citroën, we still hope to complete this campaign before the end of the year.
Source: BFM TV
