I’ve discovered by chance that my Citroën DS3 has been issued with a “stop drive” notice because of a potentially lethal fault with the airbag. I only bought it three weeks ago and have not received any communication from the company.

Citroën’s “customer care” line refused to answer any questions and directed me to the dedicated recall line. Despite multiple attempts I’ve never got through. My local dealer has a three-week waiting time for the free repair and my car is essential for my work. I’m one of the “lucky” ones. There are reports of people unable to arrange a recall repair at all, or having to wait months.

OC, Salisbury

Citroën says 120,000 UK owners are affected by an extremely rare “stop drive” recall that was issued because of a fault with airbags affecting vehicles across the motor industry. In total, the fault has caused the deaths of more than 30 people worldwide and injured hundreds more.

All C3 and DS3 models built from 2009-16 and some DS3s produced from 2009-19 are affected by the UK recall.

Fellow Citroën owner JJM is in the same predicament as OC. He lives in a remote corner of Wales and uses his car to transport vulnerable locals.

It has been a slow burn saga that has involved about 100m cars fitted with airbags made by the now defunct Japanese company Takata being recalled worldwide in 10 years.

Mercedes, Ford and Audi are among the manufacturers that have previously been affected. Citroën’s parent company, Stellantis, has been criticised by customers for its slow response to the crisis, its poor communication and its lack of support for affected drivers, some of whom have disabilities.

The company told me it first became aware of the problem in 2014 after airbags exploded in the US and it sought assurances from Takata that those used in European vehicles were safe. In 2019, when those assurances proved unreliable, it issued a recall in southern Europe since it was thought that hot and humid conditions caused the explosions. Last year, the recall was expanded across continental Europe, but owners were not advised that it was unsafe to drive while awaiting a repair. Late last month, after a woman was killed by her airbag in France, the “stop drive” recall notice was issued.

In France and its territories, where 18 people have died, the transport ministry has issued its own recall of 2.5m vehicles with Takata airbags. In the UK the recall remains voluntary despite the hot and humid summer, and Stellantis has offered no word on how drivers should get their vehicles safely to repair centres. Moreover, some drivers, such as OC, did not receive alerts.

Stellantis blames the delay on obtaining the drivers’ details from the DVLA. It told me that all affected airbags should be replaced by October, which leaves some drivers facing more than three months without a car. Nothing has been said about compensation for those forced to fork out for alternative transport. When pressed it said courtesy cars and refunds would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

As for the many who claim they have been unable to get any response at all from the company, it said it is recruiting more agents to handle calls to its helpline. A spokesperson said: “The company’s focus is on completing the replacement of airbags in affected vehicles as swiftly as possible. Work is ongoing on introducing additional airbag replacement sites at convenient locations as well as repair at home options.

“It is inevitable, with such a large number of vehicles affected, that customers will be inconvenienced in the short term. However, we are deploying a variety of options to support mobility, recognising that every driver will have individual requirements, and that priority needs to be given to customers with the most urgent needs.”

Drivers should check if their vehicle is affected by using the vehicle identification number (VIN) check tool on the Citroën UK website. If it is, they should notify their insurer and park up the car for as long as it takes. You can be fined up to £2,500 and face a ban for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

If local dealers can’t offer repairs, keep trying farther afield and demand that the vehicle is collected by tow truck. Keep records and receipts of expenses while you’re off road and, if Stellantis refuses to cough up, you can seek compensation via the small claims courts.