Takata airbag recall process leaves drivers with ‘ticking time-bombs’, Choice says
A Takata airbag that was liquidated from a two thousand one BMW under a factory recall program.
Reuters: Hyungwon Kang, file
Faulty Takata airbags which are linked to eighteen deaths globally and the world’s thickest recall in automotive history are being substituted by fresh faulty airbags, according to a report by consumer group Choice.
Key points:
- Choice says millions of cars still have faulty airbags
- Investigation finds some manufacturers substituting the airbags with identical devices
- Defective airbag linked to fatal crash in NSW this month
- Choice wants industry to do more to raise public awareness
A three-month investigation by Choice found more than two-thirds of the Two.1 million cars recalled in Australia still have not had their faulty airbags substituted, with car owners being told by manufacturers there is a minimum six-month wait to liquidate the potentially lethal safety devices.
Choice also found that a number of car manufacturers — including BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Lexus and Subaru —have been substituting the airbags with like-for-like devices as a improvised fix.
“Refitting vehicles with the same dangerous airbags still leaves people driving ticking time-bombs,” Choice spokesperson Tom Godfrey said.
The airbags’ inflators contain ammonium nitrate propellants which can become volatile with age when exposed to switching temperatures, humidity and moisture.
This may cause them to explode and propel shrapnel into drivers and passengers. The shards have been known to puncture people’s eyes, face, neck and chest.
In one case in the United States the injuries suffered by the victim were so severe that police thought he had been shot in the face.
More than one hundred eighty injuries have been recorded worldwide, prompting the recall of one hundred million vehicles globally.
Broad range of cars affected by recall
The airbags are in sixty makes of cars sold in Australia, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
They include various models of Toyota, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Chrysler, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and several others.
In a statement, Toyota confirmed it had used Takata products as replacement parts in some cases.
Is your car on the list?
“This act provided safety for a number of years, however due to exposure to the environment over time, these airbags will need to be substituted again,” the company said.
“Toyota has a rectification process in place for impacted customers.”
Honda and Nissan Australia said its authorised dealers would provide replacement airbag inflator modules in affected vehicles for free.
Mitsubishi has not yet responded to Choice on whether they did like-for-like replacements.
Choice said Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep confirmed they did not install like-for-like replacements.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said the watchdog was urgently seeking information about the recall to ensure motorists were not being put at further risk.
“We’re seeking information from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development as to exactly what information it is requiring car manufacturers and retailers to give consumers about their car’s airbag, including the likelihood of the airbag being substituted again,” Mr Sims said.
“We would have very serious concerns if manufacturers were found to be misleading consumers about their car’s safety in breach of their obligations under consumer law.
“Our advice to consumers is not to scare, but to visit the Product Safety Australia website to see if their car is affected by the recall and if it is, to contact their car’s manufacturer instantaneously.
“If consumers have already had their airbag substituted, they should contact their manufacturer for advice as to what kind of airbag it was substituted with and how long it is expected to last.”
He said if manufacturers were too slow to substitute the airbags, the ACCC would consider forcing their forearm.
“If we find that manufacturers are not responding quickly enough to get these airbags out of cars as rapid as possible, we can go to [Petite Business] Minister Michael McCormack recommending a mandatory recall … which will then have prescriptive requirements,” he said.
“The replacement should be occurring instantaneously. People should be able to get their airbags switched out straight away.
“I’d be utterly disappointed if a recall took two years, even two months to be frank.”
Takata, which filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan last month, anticipates the recall will not be finished until the end of 2019.
Fatal Sydney crash linked to defective airbag
Outward Link See: An airbag inflator exploding in a test lab
Just days before Choice’s investigation was released, police confirmed Australia’s very first fatality from a faulty airbag.
A 58-year-old driver in Sydney’s south-west was fatally struck in the neck by an object which is believed to have come from the exploding airbag. He was driving a Honda CRV.
A 21-year-old woman in Darwin was also injured in April and remains in hospital with severe head injuries. Toyota has confirmed her Rav4 was part of its recall campaign.
Photo The deployed Takata airbag which injured a youthful Darwin driver.
The Takata recall was initiated in Australia in 2009, when it was believed only a few thousand Honda vehicles were affected. It wasn’t until two thousand thirteen that the recall widened to include thirteen other car manufacturers.
Fifty car models are affected by the recall which, according to Choice, is twenty one times fatter than that of Volkswagen’s emission tampering scandal.
Mr Godfrey said he does not believe the automotive industry is doing enough to raise public awareness.
“Unluckily I think in Australia this recall has largely flown under the radar,” he said.
“TV advertising is critical. A mass market medium gets the message home to consumers that there is a problem.
“We know that when car companies are attempting to lash you a car that they will bombard you with TV and radio ads, and yet when it comes time to get a safety message home to you that you need to act, these ads are sadly lacking.”
Choice is calling for switches to the Australian Consumer Law and stronger penalties to ensure manufacturers do not substitute dangerous products with defective fresh ones.
Some of the recalled vehicles in Australia date as far back as 1999.
A number of engineers in the late 1990s had warned Takata about the danger but were overlooked. Earlier this year federal prosecutors in the US brought criminal charges against three Takata executives and fined the Japanese auto-parts maker $1 billion for concealing information about the faulty airbags.
Deaths linked to Takata airbags
- 2009: One death in the US
- 2013: One death in the US
- 2014: One death in Malaysia, two in the US
- 2015: Four deaths in the US
- 2016: Three deaths in the US, four in Malaysia
- 2017: One death in Australia
Sources: AP archives, Center for Auto Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda Motor Co., legal documents and police reports
Professor Chris Rowley from Kellogg College at the University of Oxford said Takata was able to get away with the faulty products for a long period of time because Japanese corporations lack a whistleblowing culture.
“Japan in the 1990s with the post bubble crisis made redundancies in corporations and it sort of put out a sway of middle managers, the connector inbetween the shop floor and senior executives,” he said.
“Once they’d gone, how does the shop floor worker treatment the senior executive? It is never going to happen.
“You would never treatment a superior with that sort of issue. So if you’re on the shop floor and you know this is going on, you have nowhere to turn.”
Takata airbag recall process leaves drivers with – ticking time-bombs, Choice says – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Takata airbag recall process leaves drivers with ‘ticking time-bombs’, Choice says
Updated July 24, two thousand seventeen Eighteen:29:17
Faulty Takata airbags which are linked to eighteen deaths globally and the world’s thickest recall in automotive history are being substituted by fresh faulty airbags, according to a report by consumer group Choice.
Key points:
- Choice says millions of cars still have faulty airbags
- Investigation finds some manufacturers substituting the airbags with identical devices
- Defective airbag linked to fatal crash in NSW this month
- Choice wants industry to do more to raise public awareness
A three-month investigation by Choice found more than two-thirds of the Two.1 million cars recalled in Australia still have not had their faulty airbags substituted, with car owners being told by manufacturers there is a minimum six-month wait to liquidate the potentially lethal safety devices.
Choice also found that a number of car manufacturers — including BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Lexus and Subaru —have been substituting the airbags with like-for-like devices as a improvised fix.
“Refitting vehicles with the same dangerous airbags still leaves people driving ticking time-bombs,” Choice spokesperson Tom Godfrey said.
The airbags’ inflators contain ammonium nitrate propellants which can become volatile with age when exposed to switching temperatures, humidity and moisture.
This may cause them to explode and propel shrapnel into drivers and passengers. The shards have been known to puncture people’s eyes, face, neck and chest.
In one case in the United States the injuries suffered by the victim were so severe that police thought he had been shot in the face.
More than one hundred eighty injuries have been recorded worldwide, prompting the recall of one hundred million vehicles globally.
Broad range of cars affected by recall
The airbags are in sixty makes of cars sold in Australia, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
They include various models of Toyota, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Chrysler, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and several others.
In a statement, Toyota confirmed it had used Takata products as replacement parts in some cases.
Is your car on the list?
“This act provided safety for a number of years, however due to exposure to the environment over time, these airbags will need to be substituted again,” the company said.
“Toyota has a rectification process in place for impacted customers.”
Honda and Nissan Australia said its authorised dealers would provide replacement airbag inflator modules in affected vehicles for free.
Mitsubishi has not yet responded to Choice on whether they did like-for-like replacements.
Choice said Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep confirmed they did not install like-for-like replacements.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said the watchdog was urgently seeking information about the recall to ensure motorists were not being put at further risk.
“We’re seeking information from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development as to exactly what information it is requiring car manufacturers and retailers to give consumers about their car’s airbag, including the likelihood of the airbag being substituted again,” Mr Sims said.
“We would have very serious concerns if manufacturers were found to be misleading consumers about their car’s safety in breach of their obligations under consumer law.
“Our advice to consumers is not to funk, but to visit the Product Safety Australia website to see if their car is affected by the recall and if it is, to contact their car’s manufacturer instantaneously.
“If consumers have already had their airbag substituted, they should contact their manufacturer for advice as to what kind of airbag it was substituted with and how long it is expected to last.”
He said if manufacturers were too slow to substitute the airbags, the ACCC would consider forcing their mitt.
“If we find that manufacturers are not responding quickly enough to get these airbags out of cars as swift as possible, we can go to [Puny Business] Minister Michael McCormack recommending a mandatory recall … which will then have prescriptive requirements,” he said.
“The replacement should be occurring instantaneously. People should be able to get their airbags switched out straight away.
“I’d be utterly disappointed if a recall took two years, even two months to be frank.”
Takata, which filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan last month, anticipates the recall will not be finished until the end of 2019.
Fatal Sydney crash linked to defective airbag
Just days before Choice’s investigation was released, police confirmed Australia’s very first fatality from a faulty airbag.
A 58-year-old driver in Sydney’s south-west was fatally struck in the neck by an object which is believed to have come from the exploding airbag. He was driving a Honda CRV.
A 21-year-old woman in Darwin was also injured in April and remains in hospital with severe head injuries. Toyota has confirmed her Rav4 was part of its recall campaign.
The Takata recall was initiated in Australia in 2009, when it was believed only a few thousand Honda vehicles were affected. It wasn’t until two thousand thirteen that the recall widened to include thirteen other car manufacturers.
Fifty car models are affected by the recall which, according to Choice, is twenty one times fatter than that of Volkswagen’s emission tampering scandal.
Mr Godfrey said he does not believe the automotive industry is doing enough to raise public awareness.
“Unluckily I think in Australia this recall has largely flown under the radar,” he said.
“TV advertising is critical. A mass market medium gets the message home to consumers that there is a problem.
“We know that when car companies are attempting to cane you a car that they will bombard you with TV and radio ads, and yet when it comes time to get a safety message home to you that you need to act, these ads are sadly lacking.”
Choice is calling for switches to the Australian Consumer Law and stronger penalties to ensure manufacturers do not substitute dangerous products with defective fresh ones.
Some of the recalled vehicles in Australia date as far back as 1999.
A number of engineers in the late 1990s had warned Takata about the danger but were disregarded. Earlier this year federal prosecutors in the US brought criminal charges against three Takata executives and fined the Japanese auto-parts maker $1 billion for concealing information about the faulty airbags.
Deaths linked to Takata airbags
- 2009: One death in the US
- 2013: One death in the US
- 2014: One death in Malaysia, two in the US
- 2015: Four deaths in the US
- 2016: Three deaths in the US, four in Malaysia
- 2017: One death in Australia
Sources: AP archives, Center for Auto Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda Motor Co., legal documents and police reports
Professor Chris Rowley from Kellogg College at the University of Oxford said Takata was able to get away with the faulty products for a long period of time because Japanese corporations lack a whistleblowing culture.
“Japan in the 1990s with the post bubble crisis made redundancies in corporations and it sort of put out a sway of middle managers, the connector inbetween the shop floor and senior executives,” he said.
“Once they’d gone, how does the shop floor worker treatment the senior executive? It is never going to happen.
“You would never treatment a superior with that sort of issue. So if you’re on the shop floor and you know this is going on, you have nowhere to turn.”
Takata airbag recall process leaves drivers with – ticking time-bombs, Choice says – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Takata airbag recall process leaves drivers with ‘ticking time-bombs’, Choice says
A Takata airbag that was eliminated from a two thousand one BMW under a factory recall program.
Reuters: Hyungwon Kang, file
Faulty Takata airbags which are linked to eighteen deaths globally and the world’s fattest recall in automotive history are being substituted by fresh faulty airbags, according to a report by consumer group Choice.
Key points:
- Choice says millions of cars still have faulty airbags
- Investigation finds some manufacturers substituting the airbags with identical devices
- Defective airbag linked to fatal crash in NSW this month
- Choice wants industry to do more to raise public awareness
A three-month investigation by Choice found more than two-thirds of the Two.1 million cars recalled in Australia still have not had their faulty airbags substituted, with car owners being told by manufacturers there is a minimum six-month wait to eliminate the potentially lethal safety devices.
Choice also found that a number of car manufacturers — including BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Lexus and Subaru —have been substituting the airbags with like-for-like devices as a improvised fix.
“Refitting vehicles with the same dangerous airbags still leaves people driving ticking time-bombs,” Choice spokesperson Tom Godfrey said.
The airbags’ inflators contain ammonium nitrate propellants which can become volatile with age when exposed to switching temperatures, humidity and moisture.
This may cause them to explode and propel shrapnel into drivers and passengers. The shards have been known to puncture people’s eyes, face, neck and chest.
In one case in the United States the injuries suffered by the victim were so severe that police thought he had been shot in the face.
More than one hundred eighty injuries have been recorded worldwide, prompting the recall of one hundred million vehicles globally.
Broad range of cars affected by recall
The airbags are in sixty makes of cars sold in Australia, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
They include various models of Toyota, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Chrysler, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and several others.
In a statement, Toyota confirmed it had used Takata products as replacement parts in some cases.
Is your car on the list?
“This act provided safety for a number of years, however due to exposure to the environment over time, these airbags will need to be substituted again,” the company said.
“Toyota has a rectification process in place for impacted customers.”
Honda and Nissan Australia said its authorised dealers would provide replacement airbag inflator modules in affected vehicles for free.
Mitsubishi has not yet responded to Choice on whether they did like-for-like replacements.
Choice said Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep confirmed they did not install like-for-like replacements.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said the watchdog was urgently seeking information about the recall to ensure motorists were not being put at further risk.
“We’re seeking information from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development as to exactly what information it is requiring car manufacturers and retailers to give consumers about their car’s airbag, including the likelihood of the airbag being substituted again,” Mr Sims said.
“We would have very serious concerns if manufacturers were found to be misleading consumers about their car’s safety in breach of their obligations under consumer law.
“Our advice to consumers is not to funk, but to visit the Product Safety Australia website to see if their car is affected by the recall and if it is, to contact their car’s manufacturer instantaneously.
“If consumers have already had their airbag substituted, they should contact their manufacturer for advice as to what kind of airbag it was substituted with and how long it is expected to last.”
He said if manufacturers were too slow to substitute the airbags, the ACCC would consider forcing their arm.
“If we find that manufacturers are not responding quickly enough to get these airbags out of cars as rapid as possible, we can go to [Puny Business] Minister Michael McCormack recommending a mandatory recall … which will then have prescriptive requirements,” he said.
“The replacement should be occurring instantly. People should be able to get their airbags switched out straight away.
“I’d be utterly disappointed if a recall took two years, even two months to be frank.”
Takata, which filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan last month, anticipates the recall will not be ended until the end of 2019.
Fatal Sydney crash linked to defective airbag
Outer Link See: An airbag inflator exploding in a test lab
Just days before Choice’s investigation was released, police confirmed Australia’s very first fatality from a faulty airbag.
A 58-year-old driver in Sydney’s south-west was fatally struck in the neck by an object which is believed to have come from the exploding airbag. He was driving a Honda CRV.
A 21-year-old woman in Darwin was also injured in April and remains in hospital with severe head injuries. Toyota has confirmed her Rav4 was part of its recall campaign.
Photo The deployed Takata airbag which injured a youthful Darwin driver.
The Takata recall was initiated in Australia in 2009, when it was believed only a few thousand Honda vehicles were affected. It wasn’t until two thousand thirteen that the recall widened to include thirteen other car manufacturers.
Fifty car models are affected by the recall which, according to Choice, is twenty one times fatter than that of Volkswagen’s emission tampering scandal.
Mr Godfrey said he does not believe the automotive industry is doing enough to raise public awareness.
“Unluckily I think in Australia this recall has largely flown under the radar,” he said.
“TV advertising is critical. A mass market medium gets the message home to consumers that there is a problem.
“We know that when car companies are attempting to cane you a car that they will bombard you with TV and radio ads, and yet when it comes time to get a safety message home to you that you need to act, these ads are sadly lacking.”
Choice is calling for switches to the Australian Consumer Law and stronger penalties to ensure manufacturers do not substitute dangerous products with defective fresh ones.
Some of the recalled vehicles in Australia date as far back as 1999.
A number of engineers in the late 1990s had warned Takata about the danger but were disregarded. Earlier this year federal prosecutors in the US brought criminal charges against three Takata executives and fined the Japanese auto-parts maker $1 billion for concealing information about the faulty airbags.
Deaths linked to Takata airbags
- 2009: One death in the US
- 2013: One death in the US
- 2014: One death in Malaysia, two in the US
- 2015: Four deaths in the US
- 2016: Three deaths in the US, four in Malaysia
- 2017: One death in Australia
Sources: AP archives, Center for Auto Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda Motor Co., legal documents and police reports
Professor Chris Rowley from Kellogg College at the University of Oxford said Takata was able to get away with the faulty products for a long period of time because Japanese corporations lack a whistleblowing culture.
“Japan in the 1990s with the post bubble crisis made redundancies in corporations and it sort of put out a sway of middle managers, the connector inbetween the shop floor and senior executives,” he said.
“Once they’d gone, how does the shop floor worker treatment the senior executive? It is never going to happen.
“You would never treatment a superior with that sort of issue. So if you’re on the shop floor and you know this is going on, you have nowhere to turn.”