HandoutA Citroen car owner has described the feeling of “despair” at being left unable to drive her car after a safety alert was issued in June.
Stellantis, the parent company of Citroen issued a stop-drive action for 120,000 of its vehicles in the UK.
Patricia Tate, from Drumahoe in County Londonderry, can’t get a repair appointment until mid-October and said she was told by Citroen to drive her car 28 miles to the car dealer she bought it from.
Patricia bought her car from Halliday’s of Bushmills, they said they currently have 700 customers awaiting repairs.
Stallantis have said the time frame for the repair of vehicles issued with the action varied by retailer.
Patricia is in her seventies and uses her Citroen C3 to get to hospital appointments.
She told BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show: “I’m in despair. What do I do?”
“I’ve got four months to wait for this airbag,” she said.
“It’s a desperate situation for everybody here.
“When you phone Citroen it’s a waste of time. They are telling me to drive 28 miles with no insurance. I’m not allowed to drive my car and they are telling me to drive it.”
She said she was told by Citroen she can claim back £21 a day for travel expenses once the car has been repaired.
“I can’t afford to be out of pocket for that long.”
Hallidays of BushmillsPatricia bought her car from dealers Halliday’s of Bushmills.
Dealer Principal of Halliday’s, Lexy Halliday told the Nolan Show “there’s no quick fix to this at the moment”.
“We are trying to take them all in chronological order. It doesn’t matter where you bought the car, we deal with every single Citroen whether we supplied it or not.”
He said that home repairs would be an option if they had airbags available.
“We need the airbags on site. I think we have 3 left. Our airbags are 2 weeks on back order now.”
He said that the manufacturer has given Halliday’s a “few extra courtesy cars” but that “8 vehicles verses 700 customers” isn’t going to cover everyone.
In a statement Citroen said the company’s focus is on “completing the replacement of airbags in affected vehicles as swiftly as possible”.
“Working hand in hand with our Citroën Retailer Network, we are working to maximise the number of vehicles we can repair every day.”
HandoutKyle Gawley’s daughter is a Queen’s University student nurse and community care worker.
He told the Nolan Show she hasn’t been able to do any community care since June because she can’t drive her car.
“Her nursing placement is due to start in August which is at the Ulster Hospital and we live in North Belfast, she will now need to try and source public transport to attend.”
Kyle said he tried to rent a car for his daughter but because she is under 25 no rental companies would rent to her.
She told BBC News NI the whole situation “made me feel stressed, frustrated and that I’d lost my independence”.
“As a student it is already a challenge trying to pay and maintain a car without being able to drive it to my place of work.”
Why has the recall been issued?
The decision to issue a stop-drive notice follows a fatal incident in France, in which a 37-year-old mother driving a Citroen C3 was struck in the head by pieces of flying metal after a minor collision.
The airbags use ammonium nitrate gas for instant inflation. But the gas can deteriorate in hot and humid conditions, leading to powerful explosions which throw shrapnel into the driver’s face.
The airbag causing concern was made by Japanese manufacturer Takata, whose product was installed by many car-makers.
Stellantis said: “Customers affected by this stop-drive action will receive additional notifications shortly.
“Customers can also check if their cars are concerned by this action using the VIN check tool on the Citroen website, contacting their local dealer or calling the customer care hotline.”
Affected models
Vehicles included under the stop-drive order are:
- Second-generation Citroen C3, manufactured between 2009 and 2016
- Citroën DS 3 manufactured between 2009 and 2016
- DS Automobiles DS 3 manufactured between 2016 and 2019
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice said people should use the vehicle identification number (VIN) checker tool on the Citroen UK website to confirm if their car was affected.
It said people can find their VIN on their car’s MOT certificate or in their log book (V5C).
Drivers can register it to enable the processing of a free repair.
“Driver safety is the priority. We advise all drivers to please act on this recall immediately,” a spokesperson said.
