Compulsory safety recall to hit 4 million Australian cars equipped with Takata airbags

DEADLY airbags which can spray shrapnel when deployed in a crash are the reason behind the first compulsory recall in Australian automotive history. See the full list of affected cars here.

THE Federal Government has confirmed a compulsory recall of close to 4 million vehicles nationwide to have potentially deadly airbags replaced — including 850,000 German-made cars that had previously avoided the safety campaign.

As reported exclusively by News Corp Australia on Monday, this is the first compulsory recall in Australian automotive history — however authorities are yet to outline whether it will be car owners or car companies who are punished if repairs are not made.

Faulty Takata airbags — which can spray shrapnel when deployed in a crash — have led to 23 deaths and 230 serious injuries worldwide.

In Australia last year a 58-year-old Sydney man died as a result of shrapnel from the driver’s airbag in his Honda CR-V in July, and a 21-year-old Northern Territory woman suffered head injuries when the Takata airbag in her Toyota RAV4 ruptured after a crash in April.

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The faulty airbags could explode on impact, injuring passengers. Picture: Joe Raedle, Getty Images/AFP

Until today, only Takata airbags made in factories in Mexico, Japan and Thailand had been recalled, but the new announcement adds Takata airbags made in Germany.

The ACCC announced certain models from the following brands with German-made Takata airbags are being added to the recall campaign: Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda, Ford, Holden, Tesla, Jaguar and Land Rover. However the list of exact models is yet to be released by the manufacturers.

It means almost every major car company has been caught up in the scandal, including: Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Ford, Holden, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Ferrari. It has even roped in a rare Honda motorcycle equipped with an airbag. The full list of affected cars is on recalls.gov.au.

Sections of the car industry had initially lobbied against the compulsory recall claiming there was little evidence they posed a serious danger.

However there have been reports of six German Takata airbags “rupturing” between August 2016 and May 2017, in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Turkey.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the car industry’s evidence that certain Takata airbags were safe and did not need to be recalled was “unreliable and inconclusive”.

Following the ACCC’s recommendation, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar today confirmed the compulsory recall would be enacted.

The recall has been widened to include more European vehicles. Picture: Supplied.

“The previous voluntary recall has not been satisfactory overall and it’s the safety of all Australians which is the first priority of this government. The compulsory recall will force manufacturers, dealers, importers and other suppliers to ensure that all dangerous Takata airbags are located and replaced as quickly as possible.”

Mr Sukkar said the decision to issue a compulsory recall was “based on a recommendation by the ACCC following an extensive and thorough safety investigation, which included, importantly, consultation with affected manufacturers, industry stakeholders, international experts and a range of other parties.”

The oldest and most dangerous airbags in cars in areas of high humidity would be replaced first, while newer airbags in cars in cooler climates would be pushed further down the list.

All cars would need to have their airbag replacements completed by the end of December 2020.

The car industry was initially up in arms over the compulsory recall but has since changed its tune and says it will abide by the decision.

A pioneer in car-safety equipment in Japan, Takata filed for bankruptcy protection Monday over its exploding air bags. Picture: Toru Hanai/Reuters

Approximately 1.7 million cars on Australia roads have been fixed so far, there are more than 1 million cars waiting for replacement parts to arrive, and a further 1.3 million — including the 850,000 European cars — have been added.

The airbags do not deploy randomly, only in a crash. However, there is a 1 per cent chance they may deploy incorrectly because the explosive material inside them has deteriorated over time.

While some motorists are frustrated by delays for parts, some car companies have hired private investigators to track down cars after the registered owners ignored up to half a dozen recall notices.

Last year News Corp Australia reported the Honda driver killed by a faulty Takata airbag in Sydney had been sent five recall notices prior to the deadly crash.

Adding to the delays in the recall fix: Takata supplies 20 per cent of the world’s airbags, so it needs to meet demand for new vehicles as well as manufacture 100 million replacement airbags for cars made over the past 10 years.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling