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Takata airbag recall - all you need to know

Airbag deflated in car
Airbag

There are over 130,000 cars still on Australian roads with faulty Takata airbags in urgent need of replacement, with some Toyota Corollas now added to the consumer watchdog's list of dangerous vehicles.

Toyota recently added certain Corolla ZZE122 and ZZE123 models from production years 2003-2005 to the Takata Compulsory Recall. Please recheck your registration urgently if you have one of these vehicles.

The NRMA urges vehicle owners to check IsMyAirBagSafe.com.au to see if their vehicle is affected. Owners can have affected cars towed to the dealership by the manufacturer and have the airbag replaced for free. 

There is a new separate serious safety issue with Takata NADI 5AT airbag inflators. For further information about affected vehicles click here.

Check your vehicle

Under the compulsory recall, over 130,000 vehicles are still to be rectified. 

Critical vehicles

Make and model:  Year range:
BMW   
BMW 3 Series E46   2/2001 - 03/2003
BMW 5 Series E39, 3 Series E46, X5 E53  2001-2006
Holden  
Holden Cruze (Nationwide) 2010
Honda   
Honda Accord, CR-V  2001-2002
Honda Accord  2001-2002
Honda Civic 2001
Honda Civic, Accord, Accord Euro, CR-V, Jazz, MDX  2001-2003
Honda Jazz  2004
Honda Jazz, CR-V  2005-2007
Honda MDX, Accord  2001-2007
Honda City, CR-V, Insight, Jazz, Jazz Hybrid 2006-2012 
Honda City, CR-V, Insight, Jazz, Jazz Hybrid  2011-2014 
Honda Civic, Legend, Jazz Hybrid  2006-2012 
Honda City, CR-V, Jazz and Insight  2004-2013
Honda Accord 2002, 2005-2007
Honda Civic  2006-2011 
Honda Accord Euro, Civic Hybrid, CR-V, Civic, Jazz  2003-2004 
Lexus   
Lexus SC430  2000-2003 
Mazda  
Mazda 6, RX-8  2003-2004 
Mitsubishi   
Mitsubishi ML & MN Triton  2007-2014 
Nissan   
Nissan N16 Pulsar, Y61 Patrol, D22 Navara, T30 X-Trail  2000-2004 
Nissan N16 Pulsar, D22 Navara, Y61 Patrol, T30 X-Trail  2001-2003 
Toyota   
Toyota Corolla, Avensis Verso  2000-2004 
Toyota Echo, Rav 4  2002-2003 
Toyota Echo, Rav 4  2003-2005 
Toyota Corolla ZZE122  2004-2007 
 

Classification as ‘critical’ means manufacturers have assessed these airbags as being particularly unsafe. A Takata airbag misdeployment can result in death or serious injury, even in a minor collision.

Critical airbags are a sub-category of faulty Takata airbags that require immediate replacement because of their increased safety risk for drivers and passengers.

This number may increase as manufacturers continue to review the safety risks, so drivers should re-check to ensure their airbag is in need of critical replacement.

“This recall is a rolling recall, which means that more vehicles can be added to the critical category at any time, and we’re urging consumers not to ignore recall messages from manufacturers to get their airbag replaced,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

In February the Australian Government called for a compulsory recall on all defective Takata airbags along with immediate action required for Takata's alpha airbags. 

Alpha airbags

Vehicles that contain alpha airbags have the highest risk of rupture. All vehicles with alpha airbags are currently categorised as under 'active recall'.

What's a VIN number?

If your car is unregistered, you can check it's status by using the VIN Number.

Infographic

Your vehicle identification number (VIN) is a unique 17 character serial number that can be found on your vehicle or in documentation such as registration documentation. You can also find your VIN on the vehicle registration certificate issued by the vehicle registration body in your state or territory.

Don’t wait for a recall letter from your manufacturer. It is important that all vehicle owners are proactive in ensuring their vehicle is safe by checking themselves.

Manufacturer VIN 'lookup'

Most manufacturers now have a searchable recall database on their websites. The recall database will allow you to check the recall status of your vehicle by searching for its VIN, and the recall initiation schedule provides the dates of all recalls and whether it is an active or future recall.

For future recalls

If you find that your vehicle is not under active recall, it is important to check again in the future as recall action may be initiated for your vehicle later. If this is the case, you should ensure that the manufacturer has your current contact details, they will contact you when it is time to have your airbag replaced. 

Your vehicle manufacturer is required to publish a recall initiation schedule and searchable recall on their website by the 1st July 2018 (links noted above). 

Do not ignore recall notices

Do not disregard any recall communications which are addressed to you, even if you have already had your airbag replaced, you may discover that there may be a need for another replacement of an airbag.  

If you have had your airbag previously replaced after a crash, you should still take your vehicle in to be checked in case it was fitted with a defective Takata airbag. With instances of vehicles fitted with affected Takata airbags after a collision and those airbags rupturing and causing injury or death. We encourage you to not disregard any recall notices and to act on the aforementioned information and any notices that you may receive in the future or have received in the past.

What about second-hand vehicles?

Regardless of whether you bought your vehicle brand new or second hand, you are entitled to receive a replacement airbag free of charge.

To ensure that you are notified if your vehicle is subject to the Takata airbag recall, you should contact the Australian office of the manufacturer of your vehicle to ensure that they have your current contact details.

If your vehicle is affected by the recall, and you sell your car prior to receiving your final replacement, you should advise the new owner that the vehicle has an affected Takata airbag that will require replacement, and contact the Australian office of the manufacturer and provide them with the new owner’s contact details (with the new owner’s consent). 

Enquiries and complaints

If you have any further questions about the recall, you can get in contact with your vehicle manufacturer.

You will find that the car manufacturers must have a complaints handling process, which will ensure that any consumer issues that cannot be immediately resolved must be promptly escalated.

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