For Potentially Lethal Airbags
Faulty Takata airbags have been responsible for 23 deaths and 230 serious injuries worldwide as a result of a faulty chemical propellant that causes the bags to explode rather than inflate . When one of the faulty Takata air bags explodes , it can fire shrapnel into the driver and passengers . As a result of the potentially lethal injuries that can be sustained , a compulsory recall applies to all vehicles fitted with the airbags .
The Takata airbags recall could affect up to 100 million vehicles worldwide , across almost every major car company . A total of 2.7 million vehicles in Australia and 350,000 vehicles in New Zealand are currently affected ( more are expected to be announced over the coming months ) by the recall making it the largest ever vehicle recall in both countries . While some manufacturers have already sent owners recall notices , the onus for many car owners is on them to contact manufacturers to find out whether their vehicle is affected .
Given the sheer volume of vehicles affected , motor industry leaders have called on the federal government to consider extending the range of mechanics allowed to replace the potentially lethal airbags , warning the unprecedented scale of the task could make it difficult to complete in the two years allocated to do so .
Specialist independent mechanics with expertise in a particular make of car should certainly be considered to be allowed to do replacements . Following on from this , car owners say the regulation that only mechanics accredited to manufacturers and their dealers perform airbag replacements can be inconvenient because their trusted local mechanics are not allowed to perform the task .
The recall has been made more problematic in the difficulty of sourcing replacement stock . Replacement of the airbags will be free and if it takes more than a day , transport will have to be provided for the motorist .
The best way to check if a vehicle is affected is to call an official dealer , or check the government recalls websites , www . productsafety . gov . au / recalls .
16 CAPRICORN IGNITION APRIL 2018