A civil court in Turin, Italy, has approved the admissibility of a class action lawsuit against Stellantis. The suit centers on allegations of defective airbags manufactured by the Japanese automotive parts supplier Takata. Stellantis and consumer advocacy groups Codacons and Altroconsumo, which were involved in the legal action, shared the information on Monday.
Codacons and Altroconsumo, in separate statements, stated that affected vehicle owners have 150 days to join the class action and also mentioned that a court hearing for the case has been rescheduled to November 21.
Similar lawsuits against Stellantis have also been initiated in France. According to Reuters, Stellantis acknowledged the court’s decision in a statement, noting that it is working ‘tirelessly’ on the recall campaign and reserves “the right to consider any appropriate initiative within the context of ongoing proceedings.”
It clarified that the decision pertains solely to the admissibility of the class action and does not address Stellantis’ alleged liability or the claimed damages, both of which will be evaluated later in the proceedings.
The Codacons Association, representing other consumer groups in filing the class action request, stated that the claimed compensation could reach as much as €285 million (R6.09 billion).
In 2024, Stellantis initiated a recall campaign to address problems with Takata airbags. The campaign targeted 415,000 Citroen C3 and DS 3 vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2019, distributed across 24 countries in Southern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. By the end of the year, Stellantis reported that it had successfully replaced 302,000 airbags across France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
As per the company’s recall statement, the airbags pose a risk of severe injury or even death. The danger results from the chemical components within the airbags, which can degrade in hot and humid climates, causing them to deploy with excessive force.
Stellantis, which emerged from the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler in 2021, is addressing these legal challenges, while Takata Group, the airbag manufacturer, has been bankrupt since 2017.
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