More Citroëns in France Issued with ‘Stop Drive’ Orders After Driver’s Death

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.

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 that 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.

Another death of a Citroën driver in eastern France has been linked to a faulty airbag. The woman, reported to be in her forties, scraped her 2014 Citroën C3. against the crash barrier on a motorway in Reims on June 11 while trying to avoid a truck. This activated the car’s airbag which had been manufactured by Japanese company Takata. The collision caused the malfunction of the airbag’s ammonium nitrate gas generator, sending pieces of metal throughout the car. Paramedics linked the driver’s facial injuries to those typical of crashes involving Takata airbags. A teenage passenger was also injured. 

The vehicle 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.

Citroën reportedly sent a letter to the driver in May 2025 advising her 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.

After this latest death, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot contacted Citroën requesting them to expand the ‘stop drive’ campaign to include all C3 and DS3 models, and not only those from a certain time period. The company announced they would comply and widen the ‘stop drive’ campaign to include all C3 and DS3 models.

Stellantis reported on Tuesday that close to 70% of all Citroën-model cars impacted have had their airbags replaced.

Previously, the repair rollout was in phases to prevent an overload of bookings and air bag shortages and in 2024 Citroën faced backlash over poor customer service and delays. Citroën says it now has sufficient supplies to replace all faulty airbags and that the free fix should take less than half a day to complete.

Citroën owners can check if their vehicle is affected on the manufacturer’s official recall website by entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

A full list of models affected by fault airbags in France can be found on the official government website here.