If Citroën seems to concentrate all the evils around the Takata airbag affair, it is however far from the only manufacturer concerned. In total, around thirty brands will or have to go through the recall box.
Before the period of major summer departures, the Ministry of Transport had announced a new wave of vehicle fixed assets: 800,000 additional cars had to be stopped immediately due to defective Takata type airbag. This figure then brought to 1,7 million The total number of vehicles prohibited to travel in France.
The targeted cars are subject to a “Stop Drive” procedure, forcing them to remain parked as long as the defective airbags have not been replaced. In question, technology using unstable ammonium nitrate, without stabilizing agent, already involved in several serious incidents.
A global affair that continues
The Takata affair continues to shake the automotive sector since 2014. The defect in question: an unstable propellant gas, which can cause the violent explosion of airbags, projecting metallic bursts into the cabin. Millions of vehicles have already been recalled around the world, especially in the United States where corrective actions are now closed.
But in France, this affair has never made a lot of noise when the problems were known and, worse, there are a dozen victims. According to the American agency NHTSA, these airbags have caused 28 deaths and more than 400 injured in the United States. In France, 11 of the 29 accidents identified took place overseaswhere the climate plays an aggravating role.
Faced with the extent of the problem, the authorities have imposed a massive reminder affecting more than 100 million vehicles worldwideall brands combined: Honda, Toyota, BMW, Ford, Nissan, and many others. This is the largest reminder of automotive history. Some reminders were made over ten years ago, others were (many), especially at Citroën, and we have concocted a dedicated subject to explain why certain reminders took place very late.
Almost all brands are affected
The new Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, has seized the file upon his arrival. He also militates for a recast of the standards of approval of airbags at European level and launched in February an inspection mission. The conclusions of this investigation are expected soon, and new decisions could follow.
Waiting for, 30 marques have had or will recall some of their models to replace the defective airbags:
- Audi
- BMW
- Cadillac
- Chevrolet
- Chrysler
- Citroën
- Daihatsu
- Dodge
- DS
- Ferrari
- Ford
- Honda
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- Lancia
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Mazda
- Mercedes
- Mitsubishi
- Nissan
- Opel
- Peugeot
- Seat
- Skoda
- Subaru
- Suzuki
- Tesla
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
Each model concerned by brand can be consulted via the link provided by the ministry.