Which? calls for Citroën to urgently improve shameful recall handling or risk government action
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Which? is demanding urgent action from Stellantis, Citroën's parent
company, over its chaotic handling of a recall due to a potentially
fatal airbag safety fault that has left 120,000 customers unable to
drive their cars and many stranded with no alternative mode of
transport. The consumer champion is warning that the
government may need to intervene if Stellantis fails to
significantly improve the process for fixing the fault and offering
motorists appropriate...Request free
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Which? is demanding urgent action from Stellantis, Citroën's parent company, over its chaotic handling of a recall due to a potentially fatal airbag safety fault that has left 120,000 customers unable to drive their cars and many stranded with no alternative mode of transport. The consumer champion is warning that the government may need to intervene if Stellantis fails to significantly improve the process for fixing the fault and offering motorists appropriate compensation. Over a month after the serious ‘stop-drive' recall was put in place, Which? is concerned by a seemingly deliberate lack of public clarity over available compensation that is causing major upheaval for owners who rely on their cars and have no alternative options. The manufacturer told affected drivers to immediately stop driving their cars due to the risk of airbags rupturing in a collision, which can create shrapnel and cause injury or death. Owners were urged to contact their dealer for a free airbag replacement. While the safety risk is real - and has been linked to several deaths worldwide - Stellantis' response has left many motorists confused, unsupported, and out of pocket. Which? has heard from many distressed drivers including the mum of a premature baby who needs regular hospital visits and a woman caring for her terminally-ill husband who needs to get to life-extending hospital appointments being left weeks or months without transport. The couple are incurring significant expenses for hire cars, taxis, or insurance fees. These car owners have had no clear timeline on when – or how – their original cars will be made safe. Others have told Which? they have had no choice but to keep on driving despite the risks. Several have driven their car to garages to be fixed, with some getting confusing advice from their insurers, telling them they are covered to drive (despite manufacturer advice not to drive). Stellantis has stated it will arrange alternative transport “on a case-by-case basis,” while prioritising those with the greatest need. However, the experiences of drivers contacting Which? shows that the current approach by Stellantis is failing to address the scale and severity of the problem. Some owners report being offered little more than vague promises or modest travel reimbursements, and the few owners who have been told they'll receive compensation would get a maximum of compensation of £22.50 per day - a figure far below the cost of car hire in most regions. Despite the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) being responsible for monitoring vehicle recalls, Which? has found that it has not provided clear guidance to help impacted drivers. Its own code of conduct states among other things that it will “continually aim to raise the profile of and improve information available to consumers to ensure that it provides clear information in the best ways”. While car recalls are common, with several hundred a year in the UK, a ‘stop-drive' recall of this scale is unprecedented but as the national regulator, the DVSA should be doing more to ensure customers are not being left high and dry. Which? is warning that this lack of clarity is endangering people, forcing them to either feel they have no option but to drive a potentially dangerous car or going into debt to ensure they can afford to get around. Which? is calling for Citroën and its parent company Stellantis to immediately address helpline issues, confirm a formal compensation scheme and provide practical solutions including courtesy cars, at-home repairs, or collection options, so that unsafe cars can be fixed without the risk of being driven. Given the widespread impact and concern, Which? has also written to the DVSA and the Department for Transport (DFT) to outline its concerns and call on both to step in and provide greater oversight of Stellantis' handling of the situation, including ensuring people are appropriately compensated for expenses and losses tied to critical faults. Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Protection Policy, said: “From people left stranded with no means of transport, to those paying out a fortune to hire cars and taxis, the emotional and financial burden of this recall has fallen squarely on those least able to absorb it. “Stellantis must urgently confirm it will pay compensation for alternative transport as well as offer practical solutions such as offering at-home repairs or towing affected cars to garages. If not, many people will see no alternative but to continue driving cars that are potentially very dangerous. “The government needs to step in and hold them to account to ensure UK consumers have much greater clarity of what they need to do and what they are entitled to - and are never left in this position again.” ENDS Notes to editors: Which? is calling on Stellantis UK (Citroën's parent company) to:
Case studies:
Eva planned to drive to the Netherlands for a camping trip in mid-August, with non-refundable ferry and Eurotunnel shuttle bookings. With her DS3 car no longer driveable Eva was forced to consider alternative options or be left considerably out of pocket for close to £1000. Even more worryingly, Eva was given a repair date but it was due to clash with a major surgery she was having in London. Rather than face potential delays to the repair, getting the train to pre-op appointments and risk losing the cost of her trip, Eva ended up buying a new car for £10,000. She said: "This has been a gigantic headache and Stellantis has been resoundingly unhelpful throughout!" 2.Paul Baker, a printer engineer from Derby Paul bought a new DS3 car at the beginning of June for his wife to get to work, and found out about a month later that the car had a stop-drive recall on it from reading about the story in the news. Paul heard nothing from the DVSA about the recall but when he registered the car for repair with Citroën, he was given an appointment for November. His insurer has also written to him saying that he would still be covered if he chooses to drive the car. Paul said he'd received “a complete lack of support.” 3. Deborah, a retiree from South East London, Deborah told Which? she couldn't even register her Citroën C3 for repair and when she tried ringing the Recall Helpline it was impossible to get through She said: “For a company the size of Citroën, I'm shocked they are not taking this recall more seriously.” 4. Petra (Pseudonym given) After many attempts to get help from Citroën UK, Petra is now nearly £900 out of pocket already, as she had to hire a car from a hire company. Petra's partner has terminal cancer, so she relies on her car to get him to hospital for life extending treatments. Petra is disabled and on benefits. She says: “That's my month's money gone, I have to wait for my next benefit payment now, and have been surviving on many handouts from my family for food.” 5. Lisa (Pseudonym given) Lisa has tried over 200 times to call the helpline but with no success. She has heard nothing so thought it would be cheaper to buy a little runaround but unfortunately it broke down within days of buying it. She says she now has two undrivable cars on the driveway. Lisa says: “We work hard and feel very let down. My husband passed away 9 years ago and life has been a struggle. This is making life so much harder.” 6. Vicki (Pseudonym given) Vicki has a premature baby that requires frequent visits to the hospital. She drove him home in the car before she knew the stop drive recall was in place. She has been told the soonest her car could be fixed is October depending on when the parts come in. She says: “I'm a little lost as to what we can do considering we need a car for trips to the hospital.” —------ DVSA The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) is the government body responsible for the UK Automotive Safety Recall Scheme. This scheme ensures manufacturers address safety defects in vehicles, parts, or accessories. If a serious safety issue is identified, the manufacturer will notify owners to have the vehicle repaired or replaced, usually at no cost. DVSA code of conduct states: 7.7 "Any plan for rectification should consider the practicalities for the consumer, and the need to make completion of a recall attractive to the consumer. It also needs to focus on how to plan for rectification as quickly as possible. Imagination in how this is delivered is encouraged – including supplementing the dealer network where this is a constraint to swift completion, or making completion attractive to the consumer." 8.8 "DVSA will continually aim to raise the profile of and improve information available to consumers to ensure that it provides clear information in the best ways" 8.9 "Producers and distributors are encouraged to be innovative in how they encourage take up of recall programmes through minimising inconvenience for their customers". 10.3 "It would be expected that producers or distributors will also publish useful information themselves (for example on their own websites) to enable motorists and traders to determine whether their vehicle is affected, and include any information on mitigating actions." Link to DVSA recall code of conduct Background to the recall Cars fitted with specific airbags made by the now-defunct manufacturer Takata have been subject to recalls for over a decade. The fault – which leads to airbags rupturing when activated – is thought to affect upwards of 100 million cars worldwide from a variety of different car brands including Ford, VW, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz. Stop-drive recalls related to this fault have usually been limited to hot and humid countries, as it's these climatic conditions that cause the chemicals inside the affected airbag to degrade, causing the uncontrolled explosions. The recall on Stellantis vehicles started in France following the death of a woman in the northern city of Reims whose Citroën C3 airbag exploded following a collision. While the C3/DS3 had already been recalled in France and across Europe, until June the recall was a standard recall and not a stop-drive. Following that death (one of at least 18 in France and its overseas territories), the recall was re-classified as a stop-drive in northern European countries including the UK. How to know if you're affected Stellantis is in the process of directly notifying affected vehicle owners by mail. However, you can also check if your vehicle is part of the recall:
General Advice
Right of replies: A Stellantis spokesperson said: “The Company's focus remains on completing the replacement of airbags in affected vehicles as swiftly as possible. Our Citroën 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. “For each and every customer, we discuss options to support mobility, recognising that every driver has specific requirements. These options include replacement airbags at a dealership or at home, courtesy car, support for other mobility options and recovery. We give priority to those with the most urgent needs.” A DVSA spokesperson said: “DVSA is supporting Citroën's decision to issue an immediate “stop drive” recall of (certain models of) the C3 and DS3 and will assist them where needed. “We are working with Citroën to make sure that everyone with these vehicles knows that they can't use this model of car until the necessary repair work has been carried out. “To check if your vehicle is affected, car owners can use the checker on Citroën's website.” |