The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has sent out a fresh warning for vehicle owners to check for deadly Takata airbags, with less than six months until the deadline for manufacturers to have replaced all defective airbags approaches.

The warning comes as more than 155,000 vehicles equipped with approximately 180,000 Takata airbags remain on the road in Australia, with 6,000 of these vehicles containing ‘critical’ airbags that should not be driven until the airbags are replaced.

ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said it was imperative that owners of vehicles still fitted with the Takata airbags take steps to replace them immediately, with these vehicles posing significant risk to other road users.

“These airbags are extremely dangerous and have the potential to misdeploy, sending sharp metal fragments into the vehicle cabin at high speed, with the potential to kill or seriously injure the occupants,” said Rickard.

“It is essential that you do not ignore or delay responding to notices about the recalls from your manufacturer. If your vehicle is under active recall, please act now to arrange for a free replacement.”

Rickard also stressed that vehicles equipped with the ‘critical’ airbags should not be driven under any circumstance until the airbags have been replaced.

“If your vehicle contains a ‘critical’ airbag, you should stop driving it immediately and contact the manufacturer to arrange for it to be towed or a technician to be sent to you so the airbag can be replaced.”

Since the original Takata airbag recall was first issued in March 2018, approximately 3,100 airbags have been identified, replaced, and destroyed each day. Efforts to replace the deadly airbags have increased in recent months, with more than 40,000 vehicles repaired since May as the ACCC stipulated deadline for manufacturers to have all airbags replaced nears.

Manufacturers have been set a deadline of 31 December 2020 to repair or account for all vehicles fitted with the deadly airbags or face a financial penalty. However, extensions may be requested due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacting manufacturers ability to identify vehicles and perform repairs.

The ACCC is asking vehicle owners to visit ismyairbagsafe.com.au to check if their VIN is included in the recall, and if so, take their vehicle in for repairs immediately.

Source: Australian Competition & Consumer Commission | Over 155,000 cars with deadly Takata airbags still on the roads

4 August 2020