France still has 1.3 million Takata‑airbag vehicles at risk

Since the first fatal Takata‑airbag incident in June 2025, French authorities have recorded around 40 accidents involving the defect, resulting in 20 deaths and 25 injuries. The Ministry of Transport estimates that about 1.3 million cars remain on the road with potentially dangerous airbags, out of an original pool of roughly 2.3 million units.

The government has mandated a nationwide recall, imposing a “stop‑drive” ban on 1.7 million vehicles and requiring manufacturers to replace the inflators. By 1 June 2026, just over 1.7 million cars had been repaired, but more than 1.3 million still await work, raising the total number of affected vehicles to around 3 million according to official data.

Control‑technical inspections identified 120 000 unrepaired cars among 13 million checks conducted since the start of the year (0.9 %). Manufacturers report varying progress: Stellantis says it has fixed over 93 % of its C3/DS3 units, Opel about 50 %, and BMW roughly half of its fleet. The Ministry urges owners to act quickly; the target replacement time is 20 days, yet only 23 % of informed drivers completed repairs within 45 days.