An estimated 120,000 motorists within the UK have been left unable to drive their vehicles after a security alert over a doubtlessly deadly fault with airbags.
The automobile big Stellantis just lately mentioned folks ought to cease utilizing variations of the favored Citroen C3 and the associated DS3 altogether till they had been mounted.
The “stop-drive” instruction got here amid rising issues concerning the security of airbags fitted to those fashions, following a deadly accident in France final month.
A lot of homeowners have since informed the BBC they face lengthy waits to get their vehicles mounted. Stellantis mentioned it was “inevitable” that clients can be inconvenienced.
Amongst these affected is Lisa Shackleton from Hull who contacted the BBC by way of Your Voice, Your BBC Information. The 69-year-old owns a 2014 Citroen DS3. She wants it to take her aged husband to specialist medical appointments.
She has additionally booked a summer season vacation in a cottage a three-hour drive away, to be near her daughter, who’s present process chemotherapy. However now she is not sure of tips on how to get there.
“I’ve tried to get the automobile mounted, however as I did not get to know concerning the recall quickly sufficient, the earliest it may be finished is the tip of July,” she says.
“It is booked in at a dealership in York, and that is an hour’s drive away.”
One other motorist informed the BBC she had not been capable of ebook her automobile in for the restore till January subsequent yr.
Stellantis, the multi-national agency which owns the Citroen model, mentioned it was “working to maximise” the variety of autos it may restore every day, and that precedence wanted to be given to these with essentially the most pressing wants.
Airbag scandal
Cease-drive remembers, the place homeowners are informed to not use their vehicles in any respect on account of security dangers, are uncommon. This one impacts all C3 and DS3 fashions constructed from 2009-2016, in addition to a handful of DS3s produced from 2016-2019. Stellantis mentioned they shouldn’t be pushed till airbags produced by the now defunct Japanese provider Takata have been changed.
It’s the newest growth in a long-running saga which has led to the recall of an estimated 100 million vehicles worldwide over the previous decade.
The difficulty was introduced again into focus final month by the demise of a motorist in northern France. A 37-year-old lady driving a Citroen C3 was killed after a minor collision in Reims when she was struck by flying metallic from a defective airbag.
Takata was as soon as one of many world’s greatest suppliers of airbags, security units which are supposed to shield folks from impacts when accidents happen. However in 2013 reviews started to emerge of individuals being killed or injured by their merchandise.
Explosive chemical compounds, used to inflate the luggage shortly within the occasion of an accident, had been turning into extra unstable over time, particularly in heat and humid circumstances.
This might trigger them to blow up with an excessive amount of drive, fracturing their metallic container, and sending shrapnel into the cabin of the car.
Numerous automobile makers had been affected and quickly responded with a swathe of remembers. Nevertheless Stellantis, then referred to as PSA Group previous to a merger with FiatChrysler, mentioned it had been informed by Takata that airbags made in its European factories weren’t affected, they usually continued to be fitted in new autos consequently.
Takata filed for chapter in 2017, its popularity destroyed by the affair.
[BBC]
‘Poor communication’
Stellantis mentioned it had solely develop into conscious of incidents involving European-made airbags in 2019, and initially believed solely vehicles in sizzling and humid areas had been affected. It started a recall marketing campaign in these areas.
In April final yr the recall was prolonged throughout the entire of Europe, however folks had been nonetheless allowed to drive their autos whereas they awaited a restore.
The C3 and DS3 had been already coated by this recall, however following the incident in northern France, Stellantis went additional, saying a stop-drive motion throughout the continent, together with within the UK. This took impact on 20 June.
Since then, nonetheless, dozens of automobile homeowners have complained to the BBC of poor communication from Stellantis and blended, generally contradictory, messages from Citroen and DS dealerships.
Regardless of the generally severe disruption brought on to automobile homeowners’ every day lives, Stellantis mentioned it had no plans to supply compensation whereas including that it had “mobilised the entire firm” to supply the variety of substitute airbags required.
A spokesperson mentioned: “It’s inevitable, with such numerous autos affected, that clients can be inconvenienced within the quick time period.”
What is just not clear is how clients ought to get their vehicles to dealerships for the restore work, as they can’t be pushed. Business specialists say drivers ought to verify with their insurers earlier than getting behind the wheel.
The corporate mentioned it was “investigating choices of airbag substitute at different websites, along with our Citroen community, together with at [the owner’s] residence”.
In the meantime in France, the federal government has informed drivers in Corsica and within the nation’s abroad territories, the place the local weather is hotter, to cease utilizing any vehicles of any model fitted with Takata airbags.
The identical instruction applies to autos on the French mainland constructed earlier than 2011. In complete, round 2.5 million vehicles are affected.
Within the UK, the Driver and Car Requirements Company mentioned it supported Stellantis’ resolution to challenge a stop-drive recall and was working with the corporate to boost consciousness of the difficulty, however didn’t at present have any plans to order a wider recall.
House owners can discover out whether or not their automobile is included within the recall right here.
