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www.autofile.co.nz
April 2018
Mandatory recall to solve airbag issues Associations across the motor-vehicle sector are teaming up to ensure government safety campaign succeeds
T
he automotive industry has reacted positively to the government ordering the mandatory recall of 50,000 vehicles fitted with certain types of faulty airbags. Distributors of units sold new in this country and importers of used vehicles fitted with alphatype Takata inflators have 18 months to complete remedial work, while future imports without recall certifications will be banned. The compulsory call-back is unprecedented in scale with such inflators fitted to some vehicles between 2001 and 2006. The alpha-type airbags have a significantly higher rate of failure than others made by Takata due to a manufacturing fault. They can deploy incorrectly during an accident and send fragments towards occupants.
made by Kris Faafoi, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, on April 4 and comes hot on the heels of similar action in Australia where more than two million units have been called back. His decision has been welcomed by Vehicles with alpha-type the Motor Industry Takata airbag inflators are now subject to a compulsory recall Association (MIA), which has been The recall may be followed by campaigning for action on Takata another 257,000 vehicles at a later airbags for the past five years, date that have been fitted with nonVIA (the Imported Motor Vehicle alpha systems. Industry Association) and the Motor Problems with Takata airbags Trade Association (MTA). stem back to 2008 when incidents There are about 11,280 NZ-new involving the incorrect deployment vehicles with alpha-type inflators of of inflators were reported in which 6,485 have been fitted with the US. Since then, they have replacements while 4,795 remain to been associated with 23 deaths be completed, according to the MIA. worldwide and 230 serious injuries. There are also 68,116 used Globally, about 100 million vehicles vehicles with these inflators. While are affected. 22,494 have been replaced, another The recall announcement was 45,622 are yet to be rectified.
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