Honda: Ban Takata cars!

Vehicles fitted with potentially deadly Takata airbags could have their re-registrations or sale transfer blocked until they are fixed.

The move has the support of a number of car companies including Honda Australia, which has been conducting Takata recalls since 2009 and also had a driver die in July at the wheel of a CR-V when an inflator exploded during a collision.

The idea was pitched by automotive industry members to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) at a meeting on Monday as the federal government moves closer to initiating the first mandatory automotive recall in local history to speed up the replacement of faulty Takata inflators.

So far, the vehicles fitted with faulty Takata inflators have been subject to a voluntary recall in Australia, with 38 per cent of the 2.49 million cars recalled since 2009 fixed.

Car companies involved in previous recalls include Honda, Toyota, BMW, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Lexus, Jeep, Nissan, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari and Mazda. Now, another 877,000 vehicles from Audi, Ford, Jaguar, Volkswagen, Holden, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla fitted with European-made Takata airbags have been added to the recall.

Globally, 19 people have died because of injuries sustained by the exploding inflators, which can spray metal fragments into the cabin when the faulty airbags deploy.

The mandatory recall is expected to be signed into law within weeks by small business minister Michael McCormack. The urgent priority will be the most dangerous so-called ‘Alpha’ Takata airbags, which are still in approximately 50,000 cars locally, including 10,000 Hondas.

Honda, which has the most airbag inflators to replace and has the highest local repair rate of 81 per cent, still has more than 94,000 vehicles to track down.

Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said the majority of remaining affected vehicles are owned by people who do not service through the Honda dealer network; or their current contact details are not known to the company.

“We fully support through the state registration authorities – whether it be change or ownership or change of registration – that a vehicle, especially one fitted with ‘Alpha’ airbags, not be allowed to be re-registered,” explained Collins.

“We believe that is one major action that would get these cars rectified because our biggest challenge is identifying these customers and getting their attention to get these cars fixed.”

Honda has pushed this solution previously but has failed to gain much traction with state authorities. It and other car companies are hoping that federal government pressure might change the situation.

“We strongly believe we need assistance from the government to make this happen,” said Collins.

Collins revealed Honda had spent “tens of millions of dollars” in Australia trying to rectify the Takata issue, which is the world’s largest ever automotive recall.

Many Honda customers have already received at least two, and some cases, up to eight, official recall letters. Honda Australia says to date it has sent out “well in excess of one million forms of communication” to affected Honda customers, including letters and text messages.

The CR-V driver killed in Sydney had received five recall letters, Honda says.

“Unfortunately there are still some customers of affected vehicles who are simply not responding to repeated attempts by the company to contact them and have their airbag inflators replaced. We need to change this behaviour,” Collins said.

To further highlight the seriousness of the Takata recall, Honda Australia is now issuing an even more graphic recall letter with the headline “Choosing Not to Act Could Be Deadly”.

The letter features three confronting images of the horrific damage caused by an abnormal deployment, showing a puncture hole through a front headrest and car’s roof where metal fragments have deployed out of the airbag. It follows a previous recall letter that included an illustration of an abnormal deployment.

Many brands are replacing the faulty airbags with new airbags of the same or similar design. It is anticipated many car owners will need to present their vehicle for a second replacement at some time in the future. In response to this, Product Safety Australia advises: “Consumers should not postpone having their vehicle repaired with a new replacement airbag due to concerns that the replacement airbag may be the same or similar type as the old airbag. The older the vehicle, the higher the risk of misdeployment and the more urgent the need for replacement. The ACCC has commenced a safety investigation to assess the recall campaign currently underway by manufacturers and will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Honda owners can check if their vehicle is affected via www.honda.com.au/recall. The website has a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) check tool to enable customers to see if their vehicle is affected. Customers can also call the dedicated Honda recall centre, telephone 1800 789 839. The call centre operates 8.00am to 9.00pm Monday to Friday; as well as 8.30am to 5.00pm on weekends.

-- with staff