Citroën Airbag Recall Compensation

The ‘Stop-Drive’ nature of the Citroën airbag recall means just that – that owners should not drive their vehicle until the faulty airbag has been replaced. If you do drive it, you could be doing so illegally, and in any event, will likely be doing so without insurance (because most policies will not cover the vehicle on the road while this type of recall is in place).

With over 120,000 people wanting their cars repair all at once, there are significant waiting lists for appointments at approved repair garages. It also appears that there is limited supply of the replacement parts available. As a result, sadly, many people are being left without the use of their vehicle for prolonged periods of time (over 6 months in some instances we have been told about), and deserve compensation for the losses incurred as a result of the Citroën airbag recall.

Citroën airbag recall is taking place as the 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 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.

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 with a manual advisory at your 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.

At present, we anticipate that many of the issues in the case will be common across everyone affected, and it would therefore potentially be suitable to require an application to proceed as a Group Litigation. As the basic allegations of wrong-doing are the same for every Citroën airbag recall claim, these issues could be argued once and then applied to every claim – saving time and expense.

Like any case, Group Litigations involves expert evidence, procedural challenges, and multiple court hearings. It is common for these types of cases to take several years to conclude.

We will however be able to provide further updates on this in due course.

Yes. If you acquired an affected vehicle in Scotland or Northern Ireland you will need to take advice from a solicitor in that jurisdiction to see if you can pursue any legal proceedings there.

To proceed with a Citroën airbag recall claim, we will require evidence of your ownership of the vehicle, such as the V5, purchase invoice or finance agreements (if applicable). Also evidence of the ‘Stop Notice’ recall notice sent to you would also be advantageous to your claim, and anything else that you think might be relevant.

In due course, we will also require evidence of your losses, so you should start keeping a record of all of these, and make sure that you retain all receipts, tickets, pay slips (if relevant), etc.

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.

We will pursue your Citroën airbag recall claim on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ agreement. To that end, if we don’t win your case (as long as you keep to the terms of the agreement entered) you won’t be charged.

In any UK litigation there is a general principle that the loser will have to pay the winner’s costs. If necessary, we will source a suitable After-The-Event (ATE) Insurance policy to protect you from being liable for your opponent’s legal costs should your claim be unsuccessful. The cost of the ATE insurance premium will be self-insured (i.e. will not need to be paid if the case is unsuccessful), but will only need to be paid out of any damages recovered.

If you do win, some of our charges will be paid by the Defendant to your claim and some by you – up to 25% of your proportionate share of compensation. You will also have to pay the cost of the ATE Insurance premium out of part of the damages you receive.

If the claim is unsuccessful, we will not charge you for our time or the costs we have incurred on your behalf provided you keep to the terms of the agreement.

Credit Hire provides valuable support to tens of thousands of innocent drivers every year, including those affected by the Citroen airbag recall. Credit hire exists to keep people mobile when they need it most – providing access to a temporary replacement vehicle and can be the difference between mobility and disruption.

Credit Hire is recognised by the Courts as a genuine and justifiable expense, available to the many people who can’t afford to pay upfront for a hire vehicle. The House of Lords recognised this in Dimond v Lovell, 25 years ago, when Lord Nicholls described it as fulfilling a “real need” and Lord Hobhouse called it “understandably popular”. You must have a need for a vehicle though in order to hire and you can recover the costs after that from the party who is at fault for you being without a vehicle ie: Citroen in this case.

DAMS were formed in 1996 to assist clients who have been involved in road traffic accidents caused by another party. They offer 24/7 support nationwide and have a fleet of vehicles ready to be hired out on credit hire terms.

Usually, this would involve a Road Traffic Case, however, some of these vehicles are being made available to help those affected by the Stop-Drive Citroen airbag recall.

DAMS are part of the Anexo Group Limited, as are Bond Turner. DAMS is set up to support people and arrange hire vehicles on credit hire terms, whereas Bond Turner is a specialist law firm.