This looks even scarier than wet belt worries:

 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/07/citroen-stop-drive/

Yes. No insurance cover for cars at least six years old. Caars belonging to people who probably haven't the wherewithal to just buy another.  An open ended driving ban.  The ambulance chasers are going to buy countries to fly their private jets to.

Added to which a lot of these cars will have the Puretech engine so still have wet belt worries as well!

Nothing new. Plenty of car manufacturers used dodgy takata airbags and brought out recalls, but none that I'm aware said not to drive them. Been going on for many years. 

22 minutes ago, iantt said:

but none that I'm aware said not to drive them. Been going on for many years. 

Perhaps as the airbags are getting older they are becoming more unstable ?

Or perhaps they have a few lawsuits in the pipeline and don't want to get anymore ?

Yes, as Ian says, this has been bubbling up for some time, but this seems to be the only "don't drive" one.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/361418/takata-airbag-recall-whose-responsibility-ticking-time-bomb-repairs

https://www.ford.co.uk/support/how-tos/recall/recalls-and-faqs/what-is-the-takata-airbag-recall

I expect that once Stellantis have done their sums, the don't drive restrictions will be 're evaluated '.

Let's hope they don't base their calculations on the same formula that Ford used with the Pinto!

I don't remember that but do remember camshaft issues and belt failures on one of the earlier engines.

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-pinto

In short, Ford knew the Pinto was a potential death trap, but calculated that it was cheaper to pay compensation to those killed or seriously injured rather than redesign the fuel tank problem.

Thank you. How many billion cars have been constructed without airbags? This really is a  long odds situation putting many people to great Inconvenience for an extremely tiny risk.

1.7 million cars affected here and the Government says the manufacturers have fifteen days to fix them at the owners' homes or offer a loan car or suffer heavy consequences. I am not allowed to work here in France or I would be freelancing, 'cos I bet there's a good tickle to be made here.

1 hour ago, anon said:

1.7 million cars affected here and the Government says the manufacturers have fifteen days to fix them

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Better get cracking. If each mechanic does 1000 cars a day it will be done in ............

Yes, I reckon it will be a tall order.1.7 million man hours,I would guess. Overhead gantries on the autoroutes are telling drivers to check their cars.

Reinsure car with specialist insurer.

Remove driver's airbag and declare modification

Use car👍

That might not be so easy on volume production cars for legal reasons unfortunately.

45 minutes ago, anon said:

That might not be so easy on volume production cars for legal reasons unfortunately.

If I take the standard steering wheel off and airbag, which many people have done, and fit a non standard steering wheel and declare the modification it's legal

The only risk is the airbag going off of it's own free will, that's why they're saying don't drive.

I drove 20 years without airbags, I'll take the risk rather than walk