NSW bans cars fitted with faulty Takata airbags

New South Wales has become the latest state to enforce a registration ban on thousands of vehicles fitted with potentially deadly Takata airbags.

Last week, the State Government announced an amendment to its Road Transport Act 2013, allowing authorities the right to "refuse to register a registrable vehicle if the Authority is satisfied that the vehicle, or any part of the vehicle, is subject to a recall notice under section 122 of the Australian Consumer Law".

The amendment means owners of affected vehicles will need to have faulty airbags replaced as part of a free recall process. If owners refuse to have airbags fixed, authorities will force their vehicle from the road.

The registration ban comes as authorities wade through more than 3.8 million vehicles affected by the widespread Takata airbag saga nationally.

Around 1 million cars remain unfixed, including several thousand examples of cars fitted with more dangerous ‘Alpha’ airbags said to have a “50:50” chance of failing, causing injury or death.

While car-makers have been left frustrated by the lack of response from owners over the recall, the support from state governments has been lauded by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries as major progress.

As it stands, Victoria is the only Australian state that isn’t enforcing registration bans.

Faulty Takata airbags have been linked to more than 20 fatalities globally, including the death of an Australian motorist in July, 2017. The airbags have been shown to shower occupants in deadly shrapnel, triggered by a flawed component within the airbag structure.

The ACCC triggered an industry-first compulsory recall in February 2018, whereby dozens of car-makers would be required to replace all affected airbags before December 31, 2020.