Stellantis Orders Immobilization of All C3 and DS3 Vehicles with Takata Airbags

Stellantis announced on Thursday that it is instructing an additional 82,000 Citroën C3 and DS3 owners in France not to drive their cars until their Takata airbags are replaced, following renewed concerns after a fatal road accident on June 11 in Reims (Marne).

The 82,000 vehicles affected by this directive are already part of an ongoing recall campaign in France, which began in the south just over a year ago and was extended to the northern half of the country in January 2025, the automaker clarified.

All C3 and DS3 models produced between 2014 and 2019 and sold in France have either already been recalled or are now subject to a "stop drive" order--an explicit instruction from the manufacturer not to use the vehicle, a spokesperson added. Of the 690,000 vehicles involved, 481,000 have already been repaired, while around 200,000 still require attention.

Stellantis set aside €941 million in 2022 and 2023 to fund Takata-related recalls across all its markets.

Across Europe, the "stop and drive" directive--already in effect in Southern Europe, where climatic conditions exacerbate the defect--has now been extended to all ongoing recalls in Northern Europe. In total, 860 cars have been recalled in the southern part of the continent--most of which have already been repaired--and 560 in the north, bringing the total to 1.4 million vehicles.

A judicial source told Reuters on Wednesday that the autopsy of the driver who died in Reims confirmed the airbag's responsibility for severe injuries leading to her death. After a collision, the airbag was ejected from the vehicle and found on the roadway, with a metal fragment having been propelled into the victim's larynx.

Airbags manufactured by Japanese company Takata have been blamed for numerous deaths worldwide, resulting in the recall of over 100 million vehicles since 2009. The gas used to inflate the safety cushion--ammonium nitrate--deteriorates over time, potentially compromising the system and increasing the risk of shrapnel being projected during airbag deployment.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, who had called for the expansion of the "stop and drive" order following the June 11 accident, was due to review the situation Thursday evening with Citroën brand CEO Xavier Chardon.

(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, with Makini Brice, editing by Sophie Louet)