Takata airbags: manufacturers will have to lend replacement vehicles

Car manufacturers will have to offer "mobility solutions" to customers stranded for more than 15 days by dangerous Takata airbags, such as the loan of a replacement vehicle, the Ministry of Transport announced on Tuesday, July 29.

These vehicles, which are subject to a "stop drive" order, numbering 1.7 million in total in France, will have to be repaired on average 15 days after the appointment is made, or face "heavy penalty payments," the ministry said. Manufacturers must also offer home repair appointments or tow the dangerous vehicle to a garage, according to a decree to be published in the Official Journal on Wednesday.

This decree confirms that all affected vehicles equipped with airbags considered to be at risk in Corsica and overseas must be immobilized, as well as vehicles built before 2011 in mainland France excluding Corsica. The ministry also confirmed the general recall of all vehicles equipped with an airbag considered to be at risk throughout France, i.e., an additional 600,000 vehicles, but without immobilization.

Most manufacturers are affected, from Citroën to Volkswagen and Mercedes, but excluding the Renault group. If they have not already been contacted by mail, motorists should check their vehicle manufacturer's website to see if it is affected, using its VIN number, which is listed on the vehicle registration document.

Manufacturers have twenty days from Wednesday to submit an initial weekly report to the state detailing the actions they have taken. In the event of non-compliance, manufacturers have one week to implement corrective measures, or face a penalty of one million euros per week of delay.

Manufacturers are also required to launch "regular" radio or poster campaigns to inform their customers, as well as "door-to-door canvassing and street canvassing in the overseas departments and regions" , where recalls are stalling.

Since 2014, the industrial scandal surrounding these airbags, which have caused a long series of accidents and deaths, has shaken the automotive sector worldwide.

Due to a gas that ages poorly, this safety equipment, which is supposed to protect passengers in the event of an impact, can explode, particularly in hot and humid climates, projecting parts into the drivers' faces.

A second fatal accident involving these airbags occurred in mainland France in early June. They caused a total of 18 deaths and 25 injuries – including 16 deaths and 24 injuries in overseas territories – according to the Ministry of Transport.