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In July this year, the company that owns Citroen issued a safety recall for nearly 168,000 of its cars after an airbag exploded in France, killing the driver. Owners of some C3 and DS3 cars are being told not to driver their cars until the airbags are fixed. We heard from owners of these cars, who have been having issues, being told that a fix could be months away, and without a hire car being offered they are being left stranded.

Lizzie from North Wales bought a second hand C3 in April, but by July, the recall letter meant she had no car, and that meant no income. She was told by her nearest Citroen-affiliated garages that she couldn’t get an appointment until November, and there was no possibility of getting a hire car. If Lizzie drove her car, she’d be risking points on her licence, a fine, even a ban - not to mention invalidating her insurance.

Harriet from Lincoln has had her C3 since 2013 and was shocked to receive the recall notice. She was told her local dealership couldn’t fit her car in until April next year. Citroen, instead, offered to take her car over forty miles away to Loughborough. But on the day it had arranged to collect it, nobody showed up. When Harriet chased, the company said she was the one who had to

arrange getting the vehicle to Loughborough. She was offered £45 in compensation, plus £1 for every mile to take it Loughborough, which worked out at £93 – nowhere near enough to cover the tow cost she was being quoted.

We wrote to Citroën and it told us that the Takata airbag recall, affecting vehicles from automotive manufacturers worldwide, is the world’s largest automotive recall, with 67 million airbags being recalled globally by 34 different brands. Whilst there have been no reported instances in the UK, Citroën said it has deployed a stop-drive order for all impacted vehicles and is the first manufacturer in the UK to do so. It believes this decision underscores an unwavering commitment to customer safety. It said its focus is on completing the replacement of airbags in affected vehicles as swiftly as possible to limit the disruption to customers.

We were told that all affected customers have been notified, and the company has a proactive media and social media communications campaign, requesting them to register their vehicle for repair as soon as possible. Citroën signposted people to its website for updates: or to its dedicated Helpline.

Citroën stated that there are 168,000 affected Citroën C3 and DS3 vehicles, and that as of 30

August 2025, 105,000 of its customers have been in contact and have registered for a repair. It went on to say that 32,000 are reported off the road, which aligns with DVLA data. It said that, as of 1

September 2025, it has completed 83,000 (61%), with 53,000 remaining, and forecasts that the recall should be completed by early October.

Citroën told us that provisions are in place to support any customer experiencing disruption from this stop-drive recall and its focus has been to identify customers with specific urgent needs and those who are vulnerable, working with them to provide support to suit their individual needs. It says that it aims to schedule their vehicle for repair as quickly as possible and in the most convenient way for each customer. It said it has mobilised its full network of suppliers and authorised repairers to ensure the fastest, safest and most convenient solution for every individual customer.

It said that it understands the concern and disruption that this is causing to its UK customers, and that it has put appropriate steps in place, with safety and well-being of its customers as its highest priority, whilst also supporting their individual needs.

Citroën said it welcomes and takes note of the concerns raised and clearly there are some areas of its process that have not worked as well as it would expect. It has revisited these areas with its teams and has contacted the customers affected directly to address their concerns.

Citroën said it remains fully committed to acting swiftly, transparently, and responsibly in addressing this issue, and said that if any customer has any concerns they should contact the Recall Helpline on 0800 917 9285 or their local Citroën Retailer.

When asked why only some Citroën drivers affected by the recall notice have been alerted to an offer of £22 daily reimbursement towards travel expenses, the company said that it has agreed to support each and every customer who are experiencing disruption from this stop-drive recall. It said its Network, alongside an experienced customer care team, and the dedicated recall team, are speaking directly to concerned customers. It said that these members of staff are trained to identify customers with specific urgent needs and those who are vulnerable, working with them to provide support to suit their individual needs. It said it aims to schedule their vehicle for repair as quickly as possible in the most convenient way for each customer. Citroën outlined what it has offered from the outset of the stop-drive recall; vehicle repair at a convenient authorised repairer, vehicle recovery to a convenient authorised repairer, Vehicle repair at home with approved mobile service providers, courtesy car or support for alternative mobility solutions including up to £22 per day, agreed with the customer on a case-by-case basis.

It went onto say that all affected customers have been proactively notified by letter, with a second letter to those who have not yet responded, requesting those impacted to register their vehicle for repair as soon as possible.

In relation to the specific cases we featured, after we wrote to Citroën Lizzie had her repair carried out, and Harriet had her repair booked in for later that same week.

You can watch the VT, here, on iPlayer for 28 days - /iplayer/episode/m002hzrn/the-one-show-03092025