Faulty and potentially deadly airbags will be out of 2.7 million Australian cars by the end of 2020, the Turnbull government has announced.
Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar today issued the nation’s first compulsory vehicle recall notice to ensure the replacement of defective Takata airbags, which can explode and launch metal shards when deployed.
“The recall will force manufacturers, dealers and other suppliers to ensure that all dangerous Takata airbags are located and replaced as quickly as possible,” he told reporters.
“They will be required to cover the full cost of replacing these airbags.”
The recall notice, proposed in September last year follows an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) safety investigation.
Earlier, Royal Automobile Club of Queensland spokesman Ben Turner said the “deadly problem” has rocked the automated industry.
“This is a deadline problem that needs to be solved,” Mr Turner told The TODAY Show.
“It has been scandalous, and it has been an issue that has been going on for more than a decade across the automated industry.”
The ACCC found the Takata airbag to be faulty due to a chemical compound called ammonium nitrate, which deteriorates over time.
The substance can quickly inflate the bag after a crash, but is highly combustible.
The airbag has been linked to 23 deaths and at least 200 injuries globally, according to the ACCC, claiming the life of an Australian man in Sydney last year.
“There has been one death and one case of serious injury in Australia. The government doesn’t want to see anymore,” Mr Sukkar said.
While several voluntary recalls have been issued in Australia and worldwide, with more than 100 million vehicles affected globally, authorities are concerned some manufactures have not addressed the safety risk fast enough.
“We’ve seen some manufacturers respond well and do the job and voluntarily call the motorists in to replace these airbags,” Mr Turner said.
“But that’s why the ACCC and the government has had to step in because it has been inconsistent and other manufacturers have essentially hoped the problem would go away.”
The risk arises when airbags are more than six-years-old.
About 1.3 million cars will be included in the forced recall, adding to another one million vehicles which have been recalled but are yet to be replaced.
“Whether this ever occurs is an issue for each individual car and each individual incident,” Mr Turner said.
“But we have seen more than 20 deaths worldwide. This is not a small issue. We are urging motorists to take this seriously.”
All defective Takata airbags will need to be replaced by December 31, 2020, with priority given to airbags which pose the greatest safety risk, particularly those with 'alpha' airbags'.
The recall will also include the replacement of 'like for like' airbags, which have been installed as part of earlier recalls, and will also deteriorate over time.
Mr Turner urged motorists who have been notified by their manufacturer to have their airbags replaced.
“If they are worried about it, they should get onto the ACCC website and check whether their car is one of those that has been affected,” he said.
“If it has been, they should reach out to their manufacturer as soon as possible.”
9NEWS will publish a full list of makes and models at risk here when they are revealed by the ACCC later today.
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