Motoring

6 major car brands recall vehicles in South Africa

Luke Fraser

 ·5 Jan 2026

Stellantis South Africa is still attempting to recall about 25 vehicles in South Africa as part of the Takata airbag recall campaign, issuing severe safety warnings for those who fail to address the issue.

Stellantis South Africa stated that the local recall aligns with a global recall campaign. It affects its Citroën, DS, Chrysler, Jeep, Opel, and legacy Chevrolet models.

It warned that driving with an unrepaired Takata airbag poses a severe risk of injury or death.

Stellantis is not the only manufacturer to have recalled vehicles due to the issues; Ford, Toyota, Honda, and BMW have also done so. The problem has resulted in the largest vehicle recall in history.

Toyota stated that the recall is due to the discovery of a potential issue with certain types of airbag inflators manufactured by Takata, which may allow moisture intrusion over time.

This could create excessive internal pressure when the airbag is deployed, causing the inflator to rupture.

In the event of an inflator rupture, metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material, striking and possibly injuring occupants in the event of an accident.

In South Africa, no injuries or fatalities have been reported due to this condition.

Stellantis South Africa said that it has proactively contacted customers for several years and replaced defective Takata airbag inflators.

Although it states that significant progress has been made, some vehicles remain unrepaired, and the Stop-Drive warning continues to be in effect.

It has urged customers whose airbags have not yet been replaced to immediately stop driving their vehicles and arrange a free repair at an authorised service centre.

All replacement work is then carried out at authorised service centres at no cost to customers.

The affected vehicles can be found below:

Citroën

• Citroën C3 Phase 2 (2008-2017)
• Citroën C4 (2010-2018)
• Citroën DS3 (2008-2019)
• Citroën DS4 (2010-2017)
• Citroën DS5 (2010-2018)
• Citroën C Zéro (2010-2017)

DS

• DS 3 (2008-2019)
• DS 4 (2010-2017)
• DS 5 (2010-2018)

Chrysler

• Chrysler 300 (2004-2016)
• Chrysler Aspen (2007-2009)
• Chrysler Crossfire (2007-2008)

Jeep

• Jeep Wrangler (2007-2016)

Opel

• Opel Astra (2005-2014)
• Opel Cascada (2012-2018)
• Opel Meriva (2009-2017)
• Opel Mokka (2011-2018)
• Opel Vectra (2003-2008)
• Opel Zafira (2011-2016)
• Opel Astra 10 (2009-2018)
• Opel Signum (2005-2008)

Chevrolet

• Chevrolet Cruze (2009-2017)
• Chevrolet Orlando (2011-2017)
• Chevrolet Aveo (2011-2018)
• Chevrolet SPARK
• Chevrolet VIVA

Customers can check if their vehicle is affected by visiting their car’s manufacturer’s website and entering their vehicle’s VIN in the relevant portal.