Citroen Ireland has contacted the owners of almost 2,000 vehicles affected by a serious airbag safety issue, advising them not to drive their cars until the issue is resolved.
The vehicles affected in the Republic of Ireland were produced between 2008 and 2017.
The fear is that "chemical substances in the inflators of the Takata airbags fitted in the cars may deteriorate over time, particularly in warm, humid climates. This could cause the airbag to burst with too much force in the event of an accident, which could lead to serious or even fatal injuries in the worst-case scenario."
Citroen is one of many car manufacturers which used Takata airbags and have also had to issue safety recall notices. They include companies such as Toyota and BMW.
Citroen has been engaged since 2024 in a recall of cars due to airbag concerns, and this recall has now been extended to include other models. The list now includes DS3, DS4 and DS5 models.
Stellantis, the parent company of Citroen, says it is "recalling all affected vehicles using a staggered approach, to ensure safety first and service all customers in the fastest and most efficient way. It means that we are recalling the affected cars step by step, with prioritisation for the oldest vehicles because of the behaviour of the chemical components over time in the Takata airbags."
These are the car models affected and their dates of manufacture:
- Citroën C3 Phase 2 (from 24.09.2008 to 21.02.2017)
- Citroën C4 (from 02.02.2010 to 20.05.2018)
- Citroën DS3 (from 05.12.2008 to 30.05.2019)
- Citroën DS4 (from 05.05.2010 to 03.02.2017)
- Citroën DS5 (from 30.06.2010 to 09.02.2018)
- Citroën C Zéro (from 10.2010 to 02.2017)
The DS 4 and DS 5 and C4 have had an airbag recall campaign in progress for some time (since 2024), although the issue is different and does not to the same level of risk as that on some C3 and DS 3 models that are subject to the 'Stop Drive' launched just over a week ago.
Citroen Ireland’s head of marketing, Trevor Hunt, told Donal Byrne this week that the "Stop Drive" warning affects 1,800 cars, half of which are private imports to Ireland.
"We only got the owners’ details from the Department of Transport recently."
All Irish cars have already received two rounds of notifications, even in advance of Stellantis launching the ‘Stop Drive’, with these letters dating back to January 2025. Since the ‘Stop Drive’, they have now received three letters, with the latest being via registered post.
Mr Hunt said a registered letter was posted to all 1,800 owners this week, following the receipt of ownership details from the Department of Transport, informing them of the problem.
Owners can check if their car is affected by the recall notice on www.citroen.ie or consult their local Citroen dealer.
