Stellantis Belgium has now ordered the immobilisation of all Citroën and DS vehicles equipped with defective airbags from Japanese manufacturer Takata.
This decision follows a European-wide 'stop drive' notice issued on Tuesday, although initially, the Belgian branch had stated that the recall campaign would continue as scheduled without the need to halt these vehicles.
In Belgium, nearly 28,000 vehicles, including Citroën C3 and DS3 models produced between 2009 and 2018, are affected, Anouk Van Vliet, the communication director of Stellantis Belux, confirmed.
"Some of these vehicles have already been addressed as a recall was initiated in April," Van Vliet said. "The recall has now escalated to a 'stop drive'," she added, explaining that the term means the manufacturer explicitly prohibits the use of the affected vehicles. "Drivers will receive a registered letter instructing them to schedule an airbag replacement appointment as soon as possible."
Drivers can also check whether their vehicle is affected by visiting the Citroën Belgium website.
The consumer association, Testachats, had expressed surprise at the initial communication from Stellantis Belgium, which differed from that of the European branch.
Stellantis Belgium cited delays in internal communication.
"We had not yet received internal confirmation to proceed with a European stop drive," it explained. "Until Belgium received this confirmation, we continued the recall process already underway."
