Overview
- The Ministry of Transport has opened an official inquiry assigning the Service de surveillance du marché des véhicules et des moteurs (SSMVM) to assess whether a systemic safety defect is causing unintended emergency braking.
- The SSMVM will conduct technical evaluations on vehicles from model years 2017 to 2025 and summon automakers for detailed briefings on unexplained brake activations.
- A Facebook collective has collected more than 250 driver testimonies describing abrupt, uncommanded braking across multiple brands including Peugeot, Citroën, Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Renault and Tesla.
- Some incidents have resulted in serious accidents, notably a December 2023 collision on the A7 autoroute that killed a passenger and led to a driver’s involuntary manslaughter conviction.
- Manufacturers say their initial analyses have found no common system anomalies, while independent technicians cite possible camera malfunctions, electronic glitches or ABS failures pending SSMVM test results.