If you haven’t already heard about this, than this might sound a bit shocking and funny, all at the same time. The C3 Picasso is offered in both right and left-hand drive configurations. When converting to right-hand drive, the left-hand drive brake components were left in place behind the footwell. If the passenger pushes in the right spot, he or she will activate the brakes. Funny, right? But also very dangerous.
Citroen is recalling more than 20,000 of its C3 Picasso cars in the UK because of concerns the brakes can be activated from the passenger side.
The BBC was actually alerted to the problem by Town & Country Cleaners, which has three of the Citroen vehicles in its fleet. The firm only discovered it when one of their drivers travelling at 70mph (112km/h) on a motorway found his car suddenly screeching to a halt. Motor engineer expert Mark Brown, who examined the cars, found that the braking mechanism underneath the passenger floor was easy to press - as it was only covered with a thin piece of felt.
“It's potentially very dangerous indeed because the passenger wouldn't know he's the one activating the brake. The driver wouldn't know what's going on, and the people behind wouldn't know what's going on. I think Citroen should take a good close look at this and seriously consider recalling the vehicles, and fitting some sort of structural permanent cover to protect the braking mechanism," Brown said.
“Citroen must investigate the problem as a matter of urgency. If the driver's control of the car can be compromised, they must take action to modify all cars, via a recall if necessary," Tim Shallcross, Head of Technical Policy for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, added.
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