Factory error affects safety of tens of thousands of cars in Spain

Spain's main consumer watchdog, La Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU) has warned Spanish drivers about two possible faults affecting cars on the Spanish roads.

One is a failure in the steering system of one of the best-selling cars in Spain - the Peugeot 208. The fault, raised by the French with the EU's rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (RAPEX), is feared to be a manufacturing error that could potentially cause serious accidents. According to RAPEX, this fault affect more than 30,000 models of the Peugeot 208 in Spain, manufactured between March 19, 2020 and October 24, 2022.

It is an error located in the locking nuts of the steering tie rods, which are not properly adjusted, something that could cause a loss of control of the vehicle while driving.

OCU said in a statement that Peugeot will contact the owners of this model in order to resolve the issue, which is expected to be done free of charge and as soon as possible.

However, the organisation also recommended that drivers with affected models contact Peugeot's customer service to find out "if your vehicle is among those affected, especially if it was purchased second hand", as the owner may not be resisted in Peugeot's databases and may slip through the cracks.

Airbag fault

OCU has also warned drivers about potentially faulty airbags manufactured many years ago by Japanese Tataka brand, something that the Spanish press reports could affect as many as 300,000 cars.

The airbag fault is thought to affect Audi cars made between 2004-2017; BMWs built between 2012-2014; and Skoda models between 2012-2017.

Takata, one of the world's world's leading manufacturer of seat belts and airbag devices, sells seatbelt and airbag devices to practically every car manufacturer in the world, but over the years faults have forced the recall millions of cars due to component issues. 

How do I know if my car's airbag is affected?

The complete list of affected models can be found below. The Spanish consumer watchdog recommends that drivers who suspect their vehicle could be affected contact their manufacturers directly. If you'd rather wait, Audi, BMW and Skoda have also started contacting people who have bought their vehicles to replace the faulty airbags.

Audi

Audi A4, S4, A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, RS4, RS4 Cabriolet, Audi A6, S6, A6 Allroad Quattro and RS6 built between February 23, 2004 and August 2011.

Audi A5, Q5, Q5 Hybrid, SQ5 TDI and SQ5 TDI Plus built between September 13th 2008 and November 26th 2012.

TTS Coupe, TT Coupe, TTS Roadster, TT Roadster, TT RS Coupe, TT RS Roadster, R8 Coupe and R8 Spyder built between September 3rd 2014 and February 11th 2017.

BMW

BMW1, BMW 2, BMW 2 Active Tourer/Gran Tourer, BMW 3, BMW 4, BMW 5, BMW 6, BMW X1, X3, X4 , X5, X6 as well as the BMW M2, M3, M4 and X5M manufactured between February 2012 and December 28th 2014.

Skoda

Skoda Citigo, Roomster, Fabia II, Fabia III, Rapid, Yeti, Kodiaq, Octavia III, Superb II and Superb III models manufactured between June 1st 2012 and December 15th 2017.