A new advertising campaign has been released by the Australian motor industry in an attempt to get consumers to take notice of the urgent Takata airbag recall that still affects approximately 500,000 vehicles in Australia.

The campaign, which will be broadcast across television, radio, newspaper and social media, will consist of a repetitive commercial that hopefully drives the message into the minds of consumers to get their vehicles checked.

The effort to alert the public and fix the airbag issue has been a long, arduous process, with the defect affecting over 2.8million vehicles around Australia. As of March 2019, 2.1million vehicles had been fixed, with a further 200,000 reportedly being fixed since then, leaving 500,000 still to be looked at.

Of the 500,000 vehicles remaining, an estimated 8,800 were thought to have been fitted with the Alpha Takata airbag, which is believed to have a 50% chance of malfunctioning in a crash.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive, Tony Weber, says that while most affected owners have come forward, too many are overlooking the importance of the recall.

“There are still many more vehicles in Australia that require faulty airbags to be replaced,” said Weber.

“Many owners of outstanding vehicles have simply overlooked the need to check the status of their vehicles.

“Many others may erroneously believe that a faulty airbag will not affect them. By increasing the tempo of the advertising with more direct messaging, we hope to seize the attention of vehicle owners and their families.”

It is believed that many still outstanding vehicles are located in regional and rural areas where owners can’t get to a dealership for an inspection or they are not receiving the recall notice due to being in such remote areas.

Nearly all affected owners have already been contacted, but any worried vehicle owners can go to www.ismyairbagsafe.com.au.

The replacement of airbags will be at no cost to the owner.

Original source: GoAuto.com.au | Takata advertising stepped up

5 Aug 2019