Airbag recall: Nearly two million still to be replaced

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which is overseeing the Takata airbag recall, has released comprehensive state-by-state data detailing recall rates and the first data detailing progress made by various vehicle manufacturers in removing them from Australian cars.

NSW leads the stakes in unreplaced airbags with more than 500,000 still to be changed.  Victoria has approximately 450,000, Queensland 350,000, WA 163,000, SA 104,000, Tasmania 39,000, ACT 30,000 and NT 12,000. A further 150,000 are pending confirmation.

Over the past 12 months, 1.1 million faulty Takata airbags have been replaced in around 930,000 vehicles.

New data provided by vehicle manufacturers shows the location of all known registered vehicles and number of airbag inflators affected that require a replacement.

Despite good progress, ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard is warning motorists not to be complacent about having airbags replaced.

“Don’t ignore or delay responding to a letter or call from your car’s manufacturer asking you to have your airbag replaced. The airbags degrade over time and can become lethal by misdeploying and firing metal shards at the car’s occupants,” Ms Rickard said.

The most dangerous airbags, known as “alpha” airbags, were fitted to about 115,000 cars, with around 19,500 still potentially on the roads. These airbags require urgent replacement and drivers should not drive cars containing these airbags until they have been fixed.

“Our greatest concern remains around the alpha airbags, which can still be found in almost 20,000 cars. Make no mistake, these airbags can kill and our advice is for consumers to check our website to see if their car is affected by this recall. If your car contains an alpha airbag, it should not be driven.”

Ms Rickard welcomed the launch of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries national consumer awareness campaign ‘Faulty airbags? Don’t die wondering’ and new online tool www.ismyairbagsafe.com.au and text service 0487 AIRBAG (0487-247-224).

“The website provides an easy place to enter your car’s number plate to check if it’s affected and I encourage everyone who owns a car to visit this site,” Ms Rickard said.

For more information about the recall visit the Product Safety Australia website www.productsafety.gov.au

Regular updates will be published on the Takata recalls progress data page.

This month marks the one year anniversary since the ACCC’s Takata Taskforce began its safety investigation. Under the voluntary recall that began in 2009, some 950,000 airbags were replaced.

On February 28, 2018 the Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, the Hon Michael Sukkar issued a compulsory recall notice for vehicles containing faulty Takata airbags, following the ACCC’s safety investigation.

The compulsory recall requires suppliers to replace all faulty Takata airbags in Australian vehicles by December 31, 2020 (unless varied by application and approved by the ACCC). Some vehicles will be recalled immediately, and others on a rolling basis, according to various factors including relative safety risk. This means that not all vehicles will be recalled straight away.

The global recall of Takata airbags is the largest in history and has affected millions of Australians.