Faulty Takata airbags still in 734,000 Australian cars

About 734,000 vehicles are still on Australian roads with potentially deadly Takata airbags.

Of that number, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says almost 9000 vehicles should not be driven because they remain fitted with the most dangerous ‘alpha’ airbags that can lead to occupant injury or death.

“We urge motorists who have received recall notifications from their car manufacturer to act now to arrange for a replacement which is free of charge,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said in a statement on May 2.

“Our biggest concern is that there are around 12,000 vehicles that are identified as critically requiring repair, including more than 8800 containing the most dangerous type of ‘alpha ‘ airbag.

“The alpha airbag can have up to a 50 per cent chance of misdeployment if triggered in an incident. These cars pose a serious and heightened safety risk and should not be driven.”

As of March 31, of the 2.8 million vehicles affected in Australia by the global Takata recall, around 2.1 million or 69 per cent have been fixed, said the ACCC.

Another 192,000 (seven per cent) of vehicles have been identified by manufacturers as written off, unregistered for more than two consecutive years, exported, scrapped, stolen or modified and unable to have the airbag replaced.

That leaves around 734,000 or almost a quarter (24 per cent) still fitted with potentially faulty airbags, including 180,000 Holdens and 97,000 Toyotas.

But with Takata airbag replacement falling to just 58,000 in March -- the lowest rate of repair since April 2018 – the ACCC is urging vehicle owners to check if their vehicle is affected.

“We encourage consumers to visit Is My Airbag Safe to check if their vehicle is affected. All you need is your registration plate number. It only takes 30 seconds and can give consumers piece of mind. It might save you or your family from being seriously injured, or worse.”

The Takata airbag recall affects more than 100 million vehicles and nearly 20 automotive brands globally. Worldwide, there have been 26 deaths and more than 300 reported injuries linked to Takata airbags, which were first recalled a decade ago in 2009 but subject to widespread recalls only from 2015.

Faulty Takata airbags led to the death of a 54-year-old Sydney man and injury of a 22-year-old Darwin woman in 2017, after which the ACCC made the Takata recall compulsory for all affected car-makers and mandated all defective airbags be replaced by the end of 2020.

As part of Australia’s first mandatory vehicle safety recall, car-makers are replacing faulty Takata airbags in priority order as parts become available. Some vehicles are under active recall for replacement now, with others to follow on a rolling basis depending on risk factors.

For example, some vehicles have been fitted with potentially defective ‘like for like’ airbags that will need to be replaced a second time, while Takata's ‘beta’ airbags also degrade over time, increasing the risk of a ruptured inflator housing firing shrapnel at vehicle occupants in the event of a collision.

According to the Australian government, the risk of a defective Takata airbag rupturing may arise after between six and 25 years after it is installed in a vehicle, while in areas of high heat and humidity the risk of rupture may arise after between six and nine years.

In the latest Takata airbag recall, Volkswagen Group Australia yesterday announced 1656 previous-generation VW Polo vehicles sold between 2010 and 2014 in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia will need their driver-side Takata airbags replaced.

Also recalled due to potentially faulty Takata airbags (this time on the passenger side) since our last Recall Wrap two weeks ago are 480 Ferrari models including MY16, 17 and/or 18 versions of the California T, 458 Speciale, 458 Speciale Aperta, 488GTB, 488 Spider, F12 Berlinetta, FF, F12 TDF and GTC4Lusso.

On April 26, Subaru Australia recalled almost 55,000 vehicles with potentially dodgy Takata airbags for the second time, including the MY2004-2014 Impreza (including WRX and STI), MY2009-2012 Forester and MY2010-2014 Liberty and Outback vehicles, all of which previously had their passenger airbag inflators replaced with Takata parts of the same type ('like for like' replacement).

Finally, on April 24, Honda Australia recalled 6271 examples of the MY2001-2007 Accord dating back as far as 18 years, plus 1851 versions of the MY2003-2006 MDX and selected vehicles fitted with a replacement airbag inflator between March 2015 and December 2017.

Check whether your vehicle is fitted with a potentially lethal Takata airbag here.