Takata airbags: reinforced technical inspection from January 1

The black series of killer airbags continues with two new recent deaths, in New Caledonia and Reunion (20 deaths recorded in total and 46 accidents attributed to Takata airbag bursts)have just been added to the blacklist. The Ministry of Transport is looking for solutions. For several months, state services have stepped up actions against manufacturers so that they assume their responsibilities and accelerate the pace of Takata airbag repairs.

A new stage is about to be initiated: the systematic verification, during technical inspection, of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags in “stop drive” (i.e. with an injunction to no longer use the vehicle). The measure will come into force on January 1. Concretely, if the vehicle is equipped with a Takata airbag in “stop drive” – ​​and only in this case – it will be automatically placed on counter inspection due to the potentially fatal danger it represents for the users of the vehicle. The technical inspection can only be validated after repair by a brand mechanic. The vehicle will no longer be allowed to drive until it is repaired.

“This procedure already exists for the most serious defects, for example, lack of braking on one or more wheels, missing mirrors or non-existent brake lights,” explains a white-collar worker in the ministry.

All vehicles checked within two years

To avoid this situation, the Ministry of Transport invites all owners (if they haven’t already) to check now on the ministry website, without waiting for the technical inspection, if their vehicle is subject to a Takata airbag recall in “stop drive”.

If the recall is serious but does not concern a Takata airbag in “stop drive” (Takata airbag classified as a “simple” recall, for example)the owner will be informed but there will be no counter-visit. “Faced with vehicle recalls, motorists must be made aware, and not penalized,” insists Philippe Tabarot, the Minister of Transport. By relying on a meeting known to the French, we are creating an additional protection net for vehicle owners. For vehicles equipped with defective airbags, this measure will make it possible, in two years, to scrutinize the entire fleet and put these airbags out of harm’s way. »

In fact, the technical inspection, which takes place every two years, will theoretically make it possible, in 24 months, to scrutinize all French vehicles. (22 million technical inspections are carried out each year, for 4.3 million counter-inspections in 2024).

1.2 million vehicles have had their airbags changed since March 2025. The ministry claims that last April’s decree (reinforced in July) increased the pace. 1.8 million vehicles still on the road present risks due to the presence of Takata airbags. Of these, 1.3 million are subject to a “stop drive”.

A counter-inspection at the expense of… drivers

Several group and collective actions have been initiated. The collective action brought by the Lèguevaques firm brings together nearly 3,000 plaintiffs. The complaint, filed in the summer of 2024, against Citroën, allowed all the files to be brought together (France and Overseas) with the investigating judges of the “collective accidents” unit of the Paris Judicial Court.

Things are progressing but many questions “remain unanswered”, deplores Me Christophe Lèguevaques, who continues: “How much have the manufacturers provisioned to cope? Stellantis posted 960 million euros in its 2024 accounts, and the other manufacturers? How is it that manufacturers who offer commercial offers to their customers can claim not to identify them in order to inform them? »

The State is trying to speed things up by making insurer databases and databases of vehicles which have passed technical inspection in France available to manufacturers.

A measure which risks setting the teeth of owners of Takata airbags in “stop drive”, the counter-inspection will be… at their expense, if they have not had their airbags replaced before the technical inspection.