Luxembourg drivers ignore the threat to life

Over the past decade, the Takata name has come to symbolise one of the biggest and most tragic automotive safety stories of all time. And despite years of global recalls and millions of letters, the threat still remains - even in a highly organised state like Luxembourg.

Luxembourg's Economy Minister Lex Delles said that around 200 Citroën C3 and DS3 owners have not yet responded to a free offer to replace potentially lethal Takata airbags. These cars are in an active risk zone: the devices could explode in an accident and injure or kill the driver and passengers with shards of metal.

A tragic accident near Reims in June illustrated the threat. A woman driving a Citroën C3 was killed not by the impact itself, but by the explosion of a Takata airbag, which scattered metal debris into the passenger compartment. Following the incident, Citroën issued a Stop Drive notice urging owners to stop using such vehicles immediately.

At the centre of the scandal is ammonium nitrate used by Takata as a gas generator. The same chemical is used in the production of explosives. In high heat and humidity, it becomes unstable over time. The cushion can explode at the slightest collision and become a source of injury instead of a means of protection.

Takata cushions have been installed in cars of almost all major global brands - from Honda and Toyota to BMW, Ferrari and Tesla. Between 2000 and 2015, tens of millions of such devices were produced. In 2014, the first reports of fatal incidents began to emerge, and since then there have been more than 100 million recalls worldwide. Nevertheless, the problem remains relevant.

In Luxembourg, the Institute for Standardisation, Accreditation, Safety and Quality of Products and Services (Ilnas) oversees the automotive sector. Since 2017, Ilnas has sent out more than 23,000 letters to owners of cars subject to recall. In 2025 alone, 1,118 notices have been sent out, according to data at the end of February. Those who did not respond by June received a second letter as part of the Stop Drive campaign - there were 351 of these.

The paradox is that the recall is not about an abstract problem with software or the fuel system, but about the risk of a fatal explosion inside the car. Nevertheless, a portion of car owners ignore even secondary and tertiary warnings. According to Delles, Ilnas will continue to send out letters to get the threat removed.