Stellantis is working hard to assist vehicle owners involved in the Takata airbag recall, which affects over 600,000 vehicles. A recent statement from the automotive group reports significant progress: 31,000 airbags have already been replaced in Citroën C3 and DS 3 models, with another 3,000 scheduled for imminent replacement. In France, up to June 19, 19,000 vehicles had been repaired.
Stellantis: updates on the Takata airbag issue
Since early May, Stellantis has initiated a massive recall of about 247,000 Citroën vehicles in France and other countries. These models, produced between 2009 and 2019, are equipped with potentially dangerous Takata airbags. With prolonged exposure to heat and humidity, these airbags could cause severe injuries if activated. The recall is not limited to France: globally, over 600,000 Stellantis brand vehicles are affected. The safety campaign will eventually involve eight million cars, including other brands such as Toyota.
The group is expanding the availability of replacement vehicles, using parking lots in southern France to facilitate the distribution of courtesy vehicles. Additionally, Stellantis is mobilizing an increasingly large fleet of replacement cars across Europe. This initiative involves the entire group, which includes brands such as Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel, and Fiat, to ensure an effective and widespread response to the recall. The goal is to ensure that owners of affected vehicles have access to alternative transportation during the recall and airbag replacement period.
The company states it has access to a potential 10,000 additional cars through its dealer network. Currently, more than 15,000 courtesy cars have already been assigned, with the aim of reaching a fleet of 40,000 vehicles by the end of the month. To improve support, Stellantis has strengthened its customer relations center, doubling the staff to 152 employees. Regarding the production of new airbags, the company estimates a weekly delivery of 14,500 units.
In recent weeks, Stellantis has also recalled 332,000 vehicles in the United States due to a problem with seat belts, as well as hundreds of Ram ProMaster vans and 11,000 Fiat 500s for an issue with the software that monitors tire pressure.