More Citroên vehicles in France issued with ‘stop drive’ campaign following Transport Minister demand
Death of a driver in eastern France has been linked to a faulty airbag
Previously only models from before 2013 were asked to stay off of roads until their airbags were fixed. Both C3 and DS3 models are affected by the new recall
emirhankaramuk / Shutterstock
Campaigns to take vehicles impacted by faulty airbags off of roads until they are repaired have been expanded in France after the intervention of the Transport Minister.
Minister Philippe Tabarot contacted the heads of manufacturer Citroën and asked them to expand the ‘stop drive’ campaign to include all C3 and DS3 models subject to a recall over faulty Takata airbags.
He made the request after the death of a driver in eastern France linked to faulty airbags.
The vehicle, a 2014 C3, was within the scope of recall requests but not issued with a 'stop drive' , despite models from between 2009 and 2013 in the area being hit with one in February 2025.
The manufacturer reportedly sent a letter to the driver in May 2025 advising the driver of the need to change the airbags, but it did not arrive as it was sent to the address given on the vehicle's carte grise, where the driver no longer lived.
The company announced they would widen the ‘stop drive’ campaign to include all C3 and DS3 models as the Minister demanded, and not only those from a certain time period.
Stellantis, global owner of CItroên and several other vehicle manufacturers affected by scandal, reported on Tuesday that close to 70% of all Citroën-model cars impacted have had their airbags replaced.
Millions of vehicles affected
Millions of vehicles across several makes and models in France need to have their airbags replaced due to a manufacturing fault with Takata airbags, but only some have been subject to a ‘stop drive’ campaign.
This asks vehicle owners to stop driving the car completely until the faulty airbags are fixed, as opposed to simply asking vehicle owners to schedule a repair and use their vehicle as normal – if not more cautiously – in the meantime.
Previously, the rollout was in phases to prevent an overload of bookings, but Citroën says it now has sufficient supplies to replace all faulty airbags.
If you own a Citroën, you can check if your vehicle is affected on the manufacturer’s official recall website.
You will need to enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), found on your certificat d’immatriculation (carte grise).
A full list of models affected by fault airbags in France can be found on the official government website here.
