A BBC expert has said that people will face instant £2,500 fines and 3 points on their driving licence if they go on the roads in certain cars. Appearing on BBC Morning Live, presenter Louise Minchin said that 168,000 people are at risk of penalties.
The issue relates to a massive recall of Citroen cars. Ms Minchin explained that more than 168,000 motorists have been issued ‘do not drive notices for their vehicles because of a potentially dangerous fault with the airbags’.
She said that many had been in touch to say they had faced lengthy delays in their cars being repaired – meaning they’re without their primary transport for months if they follow the rule. The recall was issued in June and involved airbags made by a Japanese company called Takata, which Ms Minchin said has since gone bust. She added: “The reason those airbags have been recalled is it was found they can degrade over time, and if they’re triggered, they can explode, sending metal into your car.“
The BBC expert said the scale of the problem was ‘huge’ with 67 million airbags being recalled around the world. She said: “In the UK there are recall notices for Audi, Volkswagens, and Seats, but Stellantis, which is the owner of Citroen and DS, is the biggest affected, and they’ve actually issued what is called a stop drive order, which covers 168,000, as you said, C3 and DS3s are built between 2009 and 2019.“
What is a Stop Drive notice:
Ms Minchin said people face big fines and penalty points if they ignore the notice. She said: “If you have been issued with one of these stop drive orders, you must not drive your car until it’s repaired. And if you do, you could actually face a fine of up to £2,500 you could get 3 points on your licence, or you could get a driving ban as well.
“You should know if you’ve been issued with one of these notices because you should have had a letter through the post, but also if you are at all worried, what you need to do is check on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency website using your vehicle registration.”
People can check on the Citroen website here also.
Stories from motorists.
Ms Minchin said they BBC had heard from drivers who are facing big delays. She said: “Linda said she received a letter telling her to stop driving her DS3 immediately, but that her dealer couldn’t fix it for her for 6 weeks, couldn’t fit it in. She said if it’s that urgent, why don’t they have the parts ready?
“Sandra from Rotherham told us her dealer had 1,500 cars on the waiting list and could only do 25 per day. She said she was told she’d have to contact her insurer for a courtesy car, only to find her policy didn’t allow her to drive at all until the repair was done, and it goes on, Kit from Norfolk said they were left disappointed and stranded after being told their local dealership refused to carry out the repair because they weren’t being paid for it, so there’s lots of angst out there and confusion as well.”
Stellantis, which owns Citroen and DS has said: “Whilst there have been no reported instances in the UK, Stellantis has decided to deploy a stop-drive order for all impacted vehicles across Europe including the UK. This decision underscores the Company’s unwavering commitment to customer safety.
“All affected customers will be notified by letter. Customers can also check if their vehicle is affected and what actions are advised by using the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) check tool on the Citroën UK website below. If impacted, they should register their vehicle to enable the processing of their repair as soon as possible.
“If you are unable to register online, owners can contact our Recall Helpline on 0800 917 9285. It is of paramount importance that owners of vehicles who may have changed either their address or contact details keep their information updated with the DVLA (Driver & Vehicle Licensing Authority) so that they can be reached in a timely and efficient manner.
“Stellantis UK is mobilising its full network of suppliers, retailers and manufacturing plant to support this action and ensure the fastest, safest and most convenient solution for each customer. If you have any specific Mobility needs or requirements, please identify these when you speak to your retailer when making your booking, we have made a number of mobility solutions available to support customers impacted by this Stop Drive.
“Stellantis remains fully committed to acting swiftly, transparently, and responsibly in addressing this issue.
Ms Minchin said that Citroen is offering compensation: “We spoke to Citroen and it told us there is provision to reimburse customers for up to £22 a day, but your car must be booked in for repair, so that compensation doesn’t start when you get the letter.
“Your car must be booked in. That is when it started, and then compensation is available from the date you book to the date of repair inclusive.
“So I’ll just do a little example for you. If you phoned them booked it in on the 1st of September and it was eventually repaired on the 30th of September, you can claim across 30 days.” She said people would need to prove they’ve had to use alternatives such as trains or buses and provide receipts to claim the money back.
Legal expert Denise Nurse said that if people aren’t satisfied the should: “First of all, put things in writing. Write to, in this case Citroen or DS and give them your car registration, the recall reference, and dates of the emails or letters or any correspondence that you’ve had explaining what’s gone on. Now, if you haven’t had a satisfactory response within 8 weeks, you can escalate. Go to the motor ombudsman, they are in charge of settling any disputes if they can, and they have the power to order compensation and other actions.
“If you bought your car on finance, even if it was secondhand under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, your finance provider should also step in. Remember, write things down, keep all the evidence, put it in writing, and it should be dealt with within a reasonable time. Those are your rights. I mean, she’s brilliant, isn’t she? So write it all down, keep your receipts, and there is compensation for you.”