Takata airbags killed 18 people in France — Citroën's recall became a stop-driving order

The Takata airbag scandal — the largest in automotive history — had been mainly an American story for years: ammonium nitrate inflators that deteriorate in heat and humidity, rupturing on impact and firing metal shrapnel at the driver. About 35 deaths worldwide are attributed to them. The scandal reached Europe late, and it reached France hardest: 18 of those deaths were French, 16 of them in the humid overseas territories where the chemistry degrades fastest.

Stellantis, which makes the Citroën and DS brands, had been recalling affected cars — C3 and DS3 models built between 2009 and 2019 — but the recall moved slower than the deaths: by January 2025, a French lawyer counted one fatality every two months. In June 2025, a 37-year-old mother died in Reims after a minor collision sent fragments from her C3's airbag into her head.

The French state then did what recalls are meant to make unnecessary: it ordered affected cars off the road. 'Do not drive' notices covered all Takata-equipped cars in Corsica and the overseas territories and pre-2011 cars on the mainland; 2.5 million vehicles were pulled into the recall, owners were promised free replacement cars while they waited, and the UK arm of Stellantis issued its own stop-drive order for C3 and DS3. Stellantis said it was committed to acting quickly and with transparency. The word the families' lawyers used was 'chaotic'.