Takata scandal: defective airbag causes another fatal accident in Reims

A fatal accident occurred on June 11 in Reims, involving the explosion of a Takata airbag on board a Citroën C3, the Reims prosecutor's office announced on Monday, June 16, confirming a report by Radio France on this second death in mainland France.

The autopsy of the woman who died after a road accident in Reims "confirms the responsibility of the Takata airbag," the explosion of which caused "very serious injuries" leading to her death, we learned from the Reims prosecutor.

The accident occurred on June 11 on the motorway in Reims. The victim's vehicle, a 2014 Citroën C3, was "hit from behind by a heavy goods vehicle for an unknown reason." As a result of this collision, the car then hit a concrete wall and came to a stop in the wrong direction, said prosecutor François Schneider.

When emergency services arrived, the 37-year-old driver had "very serious injuries" to her face. Her 13-year-old rear passenger was "very slightly injured ." The Takata airbag was "ejected from the vehicle" and found on the road. The "airbag serial number corresponds to the series that was the subject of a manufacturer recall," the prosecutor said.

The Reims prosecutor's office opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter and then relinquished jurisdiction to the Paris prosecutor's office (social, consumer and environmental division), which is handling the proceedings in the Takata case at the national level, the prosecutor added on Tuesday.

The Takata airbag scandal has rocked the automotive industry since 2014, forcing many manufacturers to ground hundreds of thousands of vehicles worldwide in order to replace the safety equipment.

Another death linked to a defective airbag deployment was recorded in Guadeloupe at the end of March. Until this death was announced, the Ministry of Transport had recorded 29 accidents resulting in eleven deaths overseas and one in mainland France.

Due to a gas that degrades over time, humidity and heat, these airbags risk exploding, with a risk of serious or even fatal injuries to drivers and front passengers.