Citroen owners are stuck at airbag security risk

In the UK, an estimated 120,000 motorists have been left unable to drive their cars following safety warnings on potential fatal defects with airbags.

Car giant Stelantis recently stated that people should stop using the popular Citroen C3 and respective DS3 versions, until they are decided.

After a deadly accident in France last month, the “stop-drive” instruction came amid increasing concerns about the airbag security in these models.

Many owners have since told the BBC that they face long wait to fix their cars. Stalentis said that it was “unavoidable” that customers would inconvenience.

Among the affected people are Lisa Shekalton from the plow who contacted through BBC Your voice, your BBC newsA 69 -year -old is the owner of a 2014 Citroen DS3. She needs to take her elderly husband to specialist medical appointments.

He has also booked a summer vacation in a cottage Three hours of drive away, to get closer to your daughter, who is undergoing chemotherapy. But now he is uncertain about how to reach there.

“I have tried to fix the car, but as I did not know about the memory soon, it can be the end of July as soon as possible,” she says.

“It is booked at a dealership in York, and it’s one hour drive away.”

Another motor driver Told the BBC that she could not book her car for repair till January Next year.

Stalentis, the multi-national firm, the owner of the Citroen brand, said it could “work to maximize” can repair the number of vehicles each day, and that priority needs to be given to those with the most essential needs.

Stop-drive recall, where owners are asked not to use their cars due to safety risks, are rare. It affects all the C3 and DS3 models produced from 2009-2016, as well as a handful of DS3S produced from 2016-2019. Stalentis stated that they should not be operated until the airbag manufactured by the unholy Japanese supplier Takata has been replaced.

This is the latest development in a long -running saga, due to which an estimated 100 million cars have been remembered worldwide in the last decade.

The issue was brought back to focus last month Death of a motor driver in northern FranceA 37 -year -old woman running a Citroen C3 was killed after a minor collision in RIMS when she was killed by flying a metal with a faulty airbag.

Takata was once one of the largest suppliers of the world’s airbags, safety equipment that occur to protect people from effects when accidents occur. But in 2013, reports reported to kill people or injured people by their products.

Explosive chemicals, the bag in an accident is used to quickly inflate the bag, being more unstable over time, especially in warm and humid conditions.

This can cause them to explode with too much force, fracture their metal containers and send pellets to the vehicle cabin.

A large number of car manufacturers were affected and responded with rapid recall. However, stalentis, then known as the PSA group, before the merger with Fiatrler, said it was reported by Takata that the airbags made in its European factories were not affected, and they were fitted in new vehicles as a result.

Takta filed for bankruptcy in 2017Its reputation was destroyed by dizziness.

Stalentis said it was only aware of the events associated with European -made airbags in 2019, and was initially believed to have affected cars only in hot and humid areas. It launched a recall campaign in those areas.

It was remembered across Europe in April last year, but people were still allowed to drive their vehicles, while they were waiting for repairs.

The C3 and DS3 were already covered with this recall, but after the incident in northern France, Stellentis proceeded, announcing a stop-drive action throughout the continent, including the UK. It came into effect on 20 June.

Since then, however, dozens of car owners have complained to the BBCs of poor communication to stalentis and mixed, sometimes contradictory, Citroen and DS dealerships.

Despite some serious disruption due to the daily life of car owners, Stelanis stated that it had no plans to provide compensation, while saying that it “collected the entire company” is required to source the number of replacement airbags.

A spokesperson said: “This is unavoidable, such a large number of vehicles are affected, that customers will have inconvenience in short term.”

It is not clear how customers should get their cars for repair work, as they cannot be operated. Industry experts say that drivers should check with their insurers before they are behind the wheel.

The company said that it was “checking the airbag replacement options on sites other than our Citroen network, including [the owner’s] Home”.

Meanwhile, in France, the government has told drivers in Corsica and in foreign areas of the country, where climate is hot, to prevent any brand from any brand engaged with Takata airbags.

The same instructions apply to vehicles on the French mainland built before 2011. Overall, about 2.5 million cars are affected.

In the UK, the driver and the vehicle standard agency stated that it supported the decision of Stellentis to issue stop-drive recall and was working with the company to raise awareness about the issue, but there was no plan to remember widely.

Owner can find out Is his car involved in recall here,