Citroën Airbag Recall
These airbags are potentially dangerous due to their use of ammonium nitrate, which has been found to become unstable over time and can result in the mechanism within the airbag to explode excessively when triggered (even, in extreme cases to explode spontaneously) and causing potentially fatal harm to the driver and passengers of the vehicle.
There have been a number of reported deaths due to this issue over recent years, but following a further death in France last month when a Citroën driver died after being struck by metal shrapnel from a deployed airbag, Stellantis have issued a recall notice to current vehicle owners, requesting that they should “stop driving [their] vehicle immediately” and to book an immediate repair.
The list of vehicles currently impacted by the latest Stellantis ‘stop drive’ order are as follows:
- Citroën C3, manufactured between 2009 and 2016
- Citroën DS 3 manufactured between 2009 and 2016
- DS Automobiles DS 3 manufactured between 2016 and 2019.
Due to the now heightened urgency of the recall, this has significantly impacted the availability of repair bookings with some vehicle dealerships. Customers have reported significant delays for their allocated repairs – in some instances being told that they will have to wait 6 months for a repair.
If your vehicle is impacted by the ‘stop drive’ recall this vehicle will be marked as a failure at its next MOT and in the meantime, it is likely to be considered illegal to drive on the public roads until the airbags have been replaced and verified by Stellantis – The government’s own website explains that:
You’re legally responsible for making sure that your vehicle is:
-kept in a safe condition
–safe to drive whenever you drive it
If you do not get your vehicle inspected and fixed, you could:
-affect any insurance claim you make
–put yourself and others at serious risk
You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.
This is causing people significant issues as, in many instances, these owners are not being offered a courtesy car and are now without a vehicle.
Stellantis is encouraging all Citroën drivers to enter their VIN (vehicle identification number) into its recall checking system to see if its customers are impacted. We link this website for any impacted customers below.
Have you been affected?
We at Bond Turner are concerned about the potential number of customers in the UK who could have been subject to this urgent ‘stop drive’ campaign and are now unable to safely drive their vehicle.
If you are affected, you may be able to bring a claim against Stellantis.
We urge all those impacted by the ‘stop drive’ recall notice to keep track and retain any travel expenses you incur as a result of this recall. We also urge all impacted vehicle owners to check their insurance policy as driving the vehicle could potentially invalidate an insurance policy on the car.
Fill out our Citroën enquiry form