Drivers are being warned of potentially being forced off roads as a result of a rare vehicle recall stemming from a serious airbag concern.
The Stellantis-owned manufacturer Citroen has announced an extension of its "stop-drive" recall for almost 10,000 more vehicles to be taken off the road.
The stop-drive notice warns that airbags can rupture in the event of a collision, causing shrapnel to fly out, potentially causing serious injuries and even deaths.
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While a previous recall was announced earlier this year following the death of a woman in France, three more models have now been included in the notice.
Stellantis has included a number of new vehicles in the stop-drive notice
| STELLANTISAll of the vehicles included in the recall contain Takata airbags, which have been at the centre of global scrutiny over safety fears.
Citroen said the recall will now include models including the C4 (2010-2011), the DS 4 (2010-2011) and the DS 5 (2010-2013).
Originally, around 72,000 cars were recalled, with Stellantis announcing that 9,968 vehicles have now been added to the recall.
A spokesperson for Citroen said: "To date, more than 66,000 vehicles have had their new replacement airbags fitted.
The Stellantis recall was first launched in Southern Europe over a year ago | STELLANTIS"We forecast that the majority of customer vehicles will have their new replacement airbags fitted by the end of September, with the remaining cases handled as swiftly as possible within the coming weeks."
"In addition, Stellantis has proactively decided to expand the stop-drive to include additional Citroen C4 (2010-2011), DS4 (2010-2011), and DS5 (2010-2013) vehicles.
"In the UK, this amounts to an additional 9,968 vehicles."
Drivers are able to check if their vehicles are included in the recall on the Citroen website and its "check tool" feature.
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Repairs will be free, with the cost covered by the manufacturer | GETTYMotorists can enter their vehicle's VIN number, and they will be told the best course of action to take if their vehicle is at risk.
Consumer champion Which? criticised Stellantis and Citroen last week over the decision to launch a stop-drive notice and the impact it was having on drivers.
The organisation called on Stellantis to make clear to drivers whether they would be able to claim compensation, with many motorists being forced to spend money on hire cars, taxis and higher insurance premiums.
Which? also called for the Government and DVSA to look into Stellantis regarding how the brand was keeping in contact with impacted drivers.
Millions of faulty Takata airbags have been identified around the world | GETTYImpacted vehicles included in the Stellantis recall
- Citroen C4 manufactured between 2010 and 2011
- DS 4 manufactured between 2010 and 2011
- DS 5 manufactured between 2010 and 2013
- Second-generation Citroen C3 manufactured between 2009 and 2016 (already included)
- Citroen DS 3 manufactured between 2009 and 2016 (already included)
- DS Automobiles DS 3 manufactured between 2016 and 2019 (already included)
- Citroen C4 manufactured between 2010 and 2018 (already included)
- Citroen DS4 manufactured between 2010 and 2018 (already included)
- Citroen DS5 manufactured between 2010 and 2018 (already included)