Stellantis is forced to roll out a “stop drive” for aging Citroën cars across European markets after a woman died in an accident in France being blamed on a failed Takata airbag.
The automaker had already been working on replacing all old models still fitted with the airbags when the accident involving a woman from Reims died in the accident involving a 2014 Citroën C3, Reuters reports.
Now the automaker group says in an emergency statement that owners of all second-gen Citroën C3 and first-gen DS 3 vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2019 “should immediately cease using their vehicle when safe to do so.” It adds, “All affected customers will be notified by letter.”
It is of paramount importance that owners of vehicles who may have changed either their address or contact details keep their information updated with the DVLA (Driver & Vehicle Licensing Authority) so that they can be reached in a timely and efficient manner.
According to a spokesperson, the company has repaired 481,000 affected vehicles in France with the airbags out of total of 690,000 known to have had Takata airbags in stalled.
Problems with Takata airbags rocked the auto industry in 2013 when a series of deaths and injuries were reported when airbags made at the company’s Mexican plant failed to inflate during collisions, leading to a recall of about 3.6 million cars.
Ensuing fatalities caused by the airbags led the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to order an ongoing, nationwide recall of more than 42 million cars, the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. The scandal led to the company filing for bankruptcy in 2017.
It is now thought that more than 100 million airbag inflators worldwide have been recalled by more than 20 carmakers.
The French transport ministry has now requested for all Citroën C3 and DS3 vehicles subject to a Takata airbag recall to be removed from the roads immediately.
The failing airbags were also cited for spraying the cabin with metal fragments but, as yet, we have no specific details of the fatality this week in France.
