November 3, 2018
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads has warned motorists that ignoring the national Takata airbag recall could lead to their car registrations being cancelled.
This week, it was revealed more than 325,000 vehicles in the State are yet to be returned to dealers for repairs.
TMR estimates about 2500 of those vehicles are fitted with alpha airbags, an older version which are considered even more dangerous than the majority of Takata airbags.
Alpha airbags can be especially dangerous in areas of high humidity and can explode during a crash, a potentially deadly scenario for vehicle occupants.
These airbags were fitted between 2001 and 2004 in certain Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Mazda and Lexus models.
“Issuing Defect Notices and potentially cancelling the vehicle registrations of vehicle owners who have not yet replaced the defective alpha airbags despite numerous attempts by manufacturers to ensure this action is completed,” Queensland Transport has warned.
The RACQ has thrown its weight behind the plan to cancel car regos.
RACQ Head of Technical and Safety Policy Steve Spalding said car owners have had plenty of warning since the recall was announced and it was frustrating some hadn’t taken action.
“If we can’t rely on car owners to protect themselves, then the State needs to step in,” he said.
“It’s not just about the car owner’s safety, these cars could be used as ride share vehicles or could be resold on to an unsuspecting buyer.
“There are just too many lives at stake.”
The airbags have been dubbed “ticking time bombs” because they degrade over time and have a 50 per cent chance of releasing shrapnel when they explode.
They have so far been responsible for the deaths of 24 people worldwide, including one Australian.
The recall was first announced in August 2017 and in February the Federal Government made it compulsory, affecting more than 2.7 million Aussie vehicles.
Since the nationwide recall, about 1.3 million vehicles have had their airbags replaced at no charge by vehicle manufacturers.
The ACCC will compile a list of vehicles with airbags that are yet to be repaired.
Owners will then receive a defect notice and be given 21 days to act.
The recall affects most major vehicle manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Holden, Honda, Jaguar, Jeep, Landrover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Skoda, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen and Honda GL1800 Goldwing motorbikes.
External links:
- Motorists can use this website to check if their vehicle is affected by the recall.
- A list of affected vehicles can be also be found here
Related article: Airbags Force Compulsory Recall
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