The French government has mandated the recall of an additional 800,000 vehicles equipped with Takata airbags in response to a recent fatality linked to a defective airbag.
This is the “biggest-ever product recall” in automotive history, which began eight years ago when Takata filed for bankruptcy protection, reported Reuters.
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The tragic incident in Reims has prompted French transport minister Philippe Tabarot to reassess risk analyses conducted by manufacturers and to implement immediate recall procedures with a stop-drive ban for all affected Citroën C3 and DS3 models.
Tabarot announced that all vehicles with the Takata airbag technology must be recalled, regardless of their age.
He further directed all manufacturers to instruct drivers in Corsica and other overseas departments to cease driving any vehicles with Takata airbags until they are fixed.
This directive also applies to all vehicles produced up to 2011 in mainland France.
Earlier, the government had indicated that vehicles manufactured between 1998 and 2019 from 30 different brands could be subject to recall.
According to French government spokesperson Sophie Primas, the decision for an expanded recall was made as a precautionary measure.
The representatives for Takata’s current owner have not provided a statement regarding the expanded recall in France.
Takata had previously announced that it anticipated recalling approximately 125 million vehicles globally by 2019.
Earlier in the month, Stellantis enforced an immediate stop-drive action across Europe for certain Citroën C3 and DS3 vehicle models, citing concerns over Takata airbags.
