7:21 am, July 17, 2025
Car manufacturer Stellantis has mobilised its Peugeot dealers to help fix vehicles from sister brands Citroen and DS with problem airbags.
The manufacturer confirmed yesterday that customers can now book their cars into Peugeot dealers to have the faulty airbags replaced as well as Citroen and DS workshops.
Some 120,000 owners of second-generation Citroen C3s, built between 2009 and 2016, and DS3 models built between 2009 and 2019, have been told by the manufacturer to stop driving their cars immediately.
Stellantis wrote to all owners at the end of June with a rare ‘stop drive’ notice and told them to book their cars in to be rectified asap.
However, the Citroen and DS network has been crippled by the huge demand for cars to be fixed.
Car Dealer Magazine has been flooded with emails from customers who have been left without a car and who have been told they can’t book their vehicles in to be rectified for months.
Stellantis has revealed that so far 21,000 cars have been fixed, but there are 99,000 still waiting to have the warranty work completed.
Citroen dealers have already said they are under ‘immense pressure’ to fix the problems with some reporting phone lines clogged by customers and long shifts needed to complete the work.
Now, more than 150 Peugeot dealers will join the battle to replace the faulty Takata airbags, according to the manufacturer.
A spokesperson told Car Dealer: ‘The company’s focus remains on completing the replacement of airbags in affected vehicles as swiftly as possible.
‘Our Citroen network is fully engaged in maximising the number of cars that can be completed every day and, to increase our repair capacity even further and minimise as much as possible the impact on customers, our Peugeot network is now authorised to replace airbags on these cars in addition to at home options.’
The work takes around one-and-a-half hours to complete and dealers are already working at maximum capacity to complete the warranty jobs as soon as possible.
Yesterday, Car Dealer reported on advice from legal experts which warned used car dealers not to sell cars which need the recall work.
Lawgistics head of legal services Nona Bowkis said dealers with vehicles in stock waiting for the airbags to be replaced should put sales on hold until they are fixed, or sell them as ‘spares or repairs’ only.
Stellantis wrote to all owners at the end of June with a ‘stop drive’ notice and told them to book their cars in to be rectified asap.
The airbags are used by a variety of manufacturers, including Citroen and DS, and the affected cars were already part of a safety recall started more than a year ago.
However, the latest order follows the death of a woman in France last month after she sustained injuries from an airbag in a 2014 Citroen C3.
Customers can check if their car is affected on the Citroen website or phone the recall helpline on 0800 917 9285.
