FCAI welcomes hard-line airbag initiative

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has praised the Queensland government for 'strong and courageous leadership' in tackling the problem of vehicles fitted with lethal 'alpha' Takata airbags.

“We applaud the Palaszczuk Government for acting so decisively on this important public safety issue,” said FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber.

“The industry has been doing its absolute utmost to raise awareness of this serious public safety issue across Australia, urging people to take action and check whether their vehicles’ airbags are affected.

“For 'alpha' Takata airbags, which pose the greatest risk, state and territory registration agencies can greatly assist the industry’s efforts to remove these vehicles from the road for rectification,” Weber was quoted as saying in a press release.

The global Takata airbag recall has been a scandal of enormous proportions, with millions of cars affected in Australia alone.

In many cases alpha airbags have been replaced by new airbags or 'beta' airbags that will also require replacement in due course. For the moment, at least, the beta airbags are relatively safer than the alpha units.

But some drivers have resisted or neglected to have the dangerous airbags replaced, despite high-profile campaigns by the car companies and the FCAI. Queensland's strategy could see the registration cancelled for over 2000 vehicles if the owners fail to act within 21 days.

“This is another example of courage and leadership that should also be adopted by other states and territories. Preventing people from simply re-registering these vehicles enormously reduces the risk to the community,” Weber said.

A website has been established for vehicle owners to check whether their car is one of the vehicles fitted with alpha airbags.