Takata airbag checks exceed 1.2 million

A new consumer website used to diagnose whether a vehicle is affected by the widespread Takata airbag recall has recorded more than 1.2 million responses in its first week.

The website, www.ismyairbagsafe.com.au, launched in Australia on July 29 and coincided with a $6 million national advertising campaign driven by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

In the first week, 769,841 unique website visitors performed more than 1.23 million registration checks, according to stakeholders. Of those, approximately one in nine respondents discovered their vehicle had been affected by the widespread recall before going onto follow advice on the next steps in the recall process.

More than 3 million Australian vehicles have been embroiled in the world’s biggest automotive recall, which has been linked to at least one death and one serious injury on local roads – not to mention many more abroad.

If faulty, affected airbags have the potential to spray shrapnel across the cabin after exploding with too much force when triggered by a collision.

Before last week’s launch, more than 1.6 million vehicles in Australia were yet to be recalled.

“We’re pleased how the public has responded to this important safety message and it is interesting to note that a large proportion of the website visitors are checking more than one vehicle,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said.

“The campaign was specifically designed to both raise public awareness of this issue and to motivate vehicle owners to use our web tool to deliver a quick and easy answer.

“There are just over 3 million vehicles across Australia affected by the Takata recall and the industry is now about halfway through that task. There’s a lot of airbag inflator replacement work going on in dealerships right around the country.

“The key message is the same: check your vehicle. And if you are contacted by your brand about the recall, it’s vital that you act on that advice promptly.”