Several deaths, investigation opened... The Takata airbag affair takes a legal turn

By News Service (with AFP)

Published on June 20, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

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Summary: A judicial investigation has been opened for "deceptive commercial practices," "aggravated deception," and in particular "endangering the lives of others," the prosecutor's office said on Friday.

A new step has been taken in the case of defective airbags from Japanese manufacturer Takata, which caused deaths in France: investigating judges are now investigating suspicions of aggravated deception and endangering the lives of others, the Paris prosecutor's office announced on Friday, June 20, in a statement to AFP.

The investigations could also be extended to three fatal accidents. At this stage, three prosecutors' offices have relinquished responsibility for the investigations they were conducting in their jurisdictions to the Paris prosecutor's office. On June 3, the Tarbes prosecutor's office relinquished responsibility for a preliminary investigation opened after a Takata airbag exploded on November 18, 2023, in Galan (Hautes-Pyrénées), which caused the death of a man born in July 1972, the driver of a C3.

On the same day, the Fort-de-France prosecutor's office withdrew responsibility for a preliminary investigation opened following the explosion of a Takata airbag on December 28, 2021, in Trois-Ilets (Martinique), which caused the death of a man born in April 1954, driver of a C3. And on June 17, the Reims prosecutor's office withdrew responsibility for the preliminary investigation opened following the explosion of a Takata airbag on June 11, 2025, in Reims. We take stock of the situation.

· An “expected” investigation

The judicial investigation was opened on April 16 for "deceptive commercial practices, aggravated deception, failure to inform purchasers of a product of its non-conformity relating to a substantial quality, endangering the lives of others," the public prosecutor explained.

Mr. Charles-Henri Coppet, who is representing 11 families of the deceased and 12 injured, stressed to AFP that the opening of this judicial investigation "was long awaited" and regretted that "the bodily aspect" , linked to involuntary deaths and injuries, has still not been opened, while the first complaint from the UFC-Que Choisir association dates back to January 2025.

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Following complaints filed in Versailles by Que Choisir and by several owners of vehicles from the Stellantis group, and then the withdrawal of the Versailles public prosecutor's office, the Jirs (Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction) of Paris opened an investigation, then "proposed to other public prosecutors to join their related procedures to this one" , recalled the Paris public prosecutor's office.

Other judicial investigations have been opened and other complaints have been filed in other jurisdictions, the prosecutor's office said, and its jurisdiction is not, at this stage, dealing with all the procedures relating to the Takata airbags. On April 10, the Chancellery requested that all the investigations be brought together at the Paris Jirs, "in the interest of the proper administration of justice."

Since 2014, the industrial scandal surrounding these defective airbags, which have caused a series of deaths, has rocked the automotive industry. Due to a gas that ages poorly, these safety devices, which are supposed to protect passengers in the event of an impact, can explode, particularly in hot and humid climates, projecting parts into drivers' faces.

The fatal accident in Reims on June 11th has accelerated the ongoing proceedings. The autopsy of the woman who died there "confirmed the responsibility of the Takata airbag," whose explosion in her Citroën C3 caused "very serious injuries" leading to her death, Reims prosecutor François Schneider said. The victim's vehicle, a 2014 C3, was "hit from behind by a heavy goods vehicle for an undetermined reason."

As a result of the collision, the car hit a concrete wall and came to a stop in the wrong direction, the prosecutor said. When emergency services arrived, the 37-year-old driver had "very serious injuries" to her face. Her 13-year-old rear passenger suffered "very minor injuries ." The Takata airbag was "ejected from the vehicle" and found on the road. A "metal piece" was found "in the victim's larynx." She subsequently died.

In response, the UFC-Que Choisir association stated that " this latest death is unacceptable and would have been avoided if the necessary measures had been implemented by Stellantis ." The Minister of Transport then requested on Tuesday the immobilization of all Citroën C3s and DS3s requiring airbag replacement. Until the announcement of this death, 29 accidents resulting in eleven deaths had been recorded overseas, where airbags deteriorate more quickly.

Citroën responded by requesting a recall, called "stop drive" , across Europe "given the current situation" , through its director Xavier Chardon, to AFP. This means immediate immobilization of all C3 and DS3 model cars, regardless of their year of production, followed by repairs. 441,000 cars are affected in Europe, including 82,000 in France, in addition to those already immobilized.

In France, Citroën had already launched a grounding of some 236,900 C3 and DS3 models in the north of the country in early 2025 , after an initial campaign in spring 2024 in southern Europe for certain models. The measure did not until now apply to cars manufactured after 2013. After a chaotic start, notably due to a lack of sufficient airbags, replacement appointments have been coming thick and fast at dealerships.

"It is important that customers contact us," said Xavier Chardon. "We are not shirking our responsibilities," he added, saying he is "personally committed to ensuring that there is no longer a single Takata airbag in Citroëns."