An Italian court has ruled a class action lawsuit against Stellantis regarding potentially defective airbags produced by the Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Takata admissible. Vehicle owners affected by this issue have 150 days to join the class action. The Codacons association, which initiated the class action on behalf of other consumer groups, indicated that the compensation sought could reach up to 285 million euros.
Last year, Stellantis initiated a comprehensive Stop Drive recall campaign for Takata airbags, impacting hundreds of thousands of Citroen and DS vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2019 across 24 countries in Southern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Millions of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags are currently under recall due to the risk that prolonged exposure to high temperatures and humidity may cause these airbags to explode upon deployment, resulting in injuries and fatalities.
Takata, a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer, operated production facilities on four continents, with its European headquarters situated in Germany. In 2013, a series of incidents involving deaths and injuries linked to defective Takata airbag inflators produced at their Mexico facility prompted a recall of 3.6 million vehicles fitted with Takata airbags.
Subsequent fatalities led the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate a nationwide recall in the United States, affecting over 42 million vehicles, marking the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.
In June 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently acquired by Key Safety Systems. As of January 2024, more than 100 million airbag inflators have been recalled globally by over 20 automotive manufacturers.
