Some 236,900 owners of Citroën C3 and DS 3 in the north of France were called on Monday, February 17, not to roll the time that their airbags were changed, as part of a new wave of immobilization linked to the Takata scandal. These airbags are likely to cause serious injuries and have already caused at least one death in mainland France and eleven overseas, where the climate degrades one of their components faster, according to the Ministry of Transport.
Volkswagen, Nissan, BMW or Toyota, among others, recalled millions of vehicles equipped with these dangerous airbags, with reminders still in progress today.
Following several fatal accidents, a first immobilization campaign – called “Stop Drive” – had already been launched by Citroën and DS in early 2024 in southern Europe and the Maghreb, immobilizing thousands of motorists for weeks. In France, it concerned the south of the country and especially overseas. The decision to start reminders with these regions had been made “on the basis of the heat and humidity criteria of climates in the long term”, the two factors that damage these airbags, according to Stellantis, the Mother house of Citroën and ds.
Toyota and Volkswagen also asked thousands of overseas customers in January to no longer drive either.
Vehicles registered between 2008 and 2013
The vehicles concerned by the recall on Monday are located north of a Lyon-Clermont-Ferrand line and were registered between 2008 and 2013. Citroën had already called them to go to the garage since January 2025 but without immobilizing them.
New tests carried out on a car in Loire-Atlantique, north of this line therefore, showed a “degradation of properties” of ammonium nitrate, the product which is used to inflate the cushion in the event of an accident, according to a door -Stellantis group in AFP. The Stellantis group has therefore decided to extend “as a precaution” the measure of immobilization to the rest of France, he said.
Solicited on Monday, the Ministry of Transport specified, however, that it had asked in December 2024 in Stellantis to launch this campaign “Stop Drive” for the C3 and DS 3 whose “sure life” was “below ‘Vehicle age “. The owners of these vehicles are called upon to make an appointment on the Citroën website.
During the first reminder in 2024, Stellantis had to mobilize in an emergency network of concessionaires, assaulted by requests for motorists fearing an accident, lending thousands of cars to replace and dopy the production of new suitable airbags. But the manufacturer now has replacement airbag stocks and dealers can install them “immediately,” said the spokesperson.
Group factories mobilized
The group also mobilized eight of its factories in France (Rennes, Poissy, Sochaux, Mulhouse, Trémery, Charleville-Meizières, Hordain, Douvrin) to accommodate customers.
With its letters and display campaigns, Stellantis did not immediately touch all customers: out of 73,800 people warned in January in the north of France, 42,400 registered for a repair, and 17,600 cars were revised, According to Stellantis.
Since April 2024, as part of the first recall wave launched in southern Europe and the Maghreb, more than 400,000 cars have been repaired, out of the 530,000 Citroën C3 and DS3 sold between 2009 and 2019 in zones concerned. The Ministry of Transport also launched in January information campaigns in the service stations overseas, and technical control centers must notify the customers concerned throughout France during the passage of their vehicle.
The vehicles sold between 2014 and 2019 in the north of France and other European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland … for a total of 869,000 vehicles) will be the subject of next reminder waves, but without immobilization , said Stellantis.
At the same time, several C3 owners have filed complaints against Stellantis for “endangering the life of others” and “misleading commercial practices”, notably asking for financial compensations.