Tragic Accident in Reims Linked to Defective Takata Airbags
A mother dies in Reims due to a defective Takata airbag, raising urgent safety concerns.
Key Points
- • A fatal accident occurred in Reims involving a Takata airbag.
- • The victim was a mother in her forties; a teenage girl was injured.
- • This marks the second Takata-related death in mainland France since November 2023.
- • Reims prosecutor has transferred the case to a specialized jurisdiction in Paris.
A tragic accident on June 11, 2025, in Reims, France, has claimed the life of a mother in her forties due to a defective Takata airbag in her Citroën C3. The incident also injured a 14-year-old girl who was in the vehicle during the collision. This marks the second fatal accident connected to Takata airbags in mainland France, following another death in November 2023.
According to reports, since 2016, France has recorded a total of 19 fatal accidents attributed to Takata airbags, with 17 of those occurring in overseas territories. The airbag involved in the Reims accident was from a 2014 model that had not been replaced despite existing recall notices issued by Stellantis, the parent company of Citroën. In February 2025, Stellantis initiated a recall affecting 236,000 vehicles, including the C3 and DS3 models manufactured between 2009 and 2013, urging owners not to drive these older cars.
The Reims prosecutor has referred this case to a specialized court in Paris, allowing for a consolidation of investigations into similar incidents involving defective airbags. The nature of the victim's injuries was consistent with common patterns seen in Takata-related crashes, where airbag inflators malfunction and send metal shrapnel into the cabin, posing significant risks to occupants of affected vehicles.