Federal government announces compulsory recall of more than 2.3 million vehicles

More than 2 million Australian cars have been hit by one of the largest compulsory recalls in the country’s history.

An announcement from the government was made earlier today, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying that the focus was on putting “the safety of Australians first and foremost at all times”.

Approximately 1.7 million vehicles within Australia have already had their defective airbags replaced. The compulsory recall follows an investigation into the airbags by the ACCC in September last year.

“The ACCC’s investigation established that Takata airbag inflators without a desiccant (or drying agent) or with a calcium sulphate desiccant have a design flaw and over time the ammonium nitrate propellant can degrade, leading to potential misdeployment of the airbags and a risk of causing serious injury or death to vehicle occupants,” the report found.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims said those with the Takata Alpha airbags installed are at the most ‘immediate’ risk. The ACCC believes that more than 27,000 of the dangerous Alpha airbags are currently yet to be replaced.

Mr Sims urged consumers to check the list and immediately stop driving their vehicles if they found it on the critical list.

“The problem with the airbag is the drying agent. There’s a problem in the design,” he said.

“When the moisture gets in, the propelling mechanism can alight too quickly and cause fragments of metal to come out from the airbag, which, tragically, has killed one person in Australia.”

Assistant Minister Michael Sukkar said the government believed the voluntary recall was insufficient from a safety perspective.

“I’ve agreed with this recommendation because the previous voluntary recall has not been satisfactory overall, and it’s the safety of all Australians which is the first priority of this government,” he said.

Mr Sukkar said those within the Northern Terrority and far North Queensland were at a greater risk given the warmer climates of those regions. Replacements of the non-critical airbags will be prioritised according to the level of risk, so motorists in those regions would likely see their vehicles fixed quicker than other parts of Australia.

The Takata airbag scandal extends to various models of Toyota, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Chrysler, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and several others. The faulty airbags have already been associated with 20 deaths globally and more than 180 injuries.

“The ammonium nitrate in them essentially dissolves the metal cylinder that encases the airbag and then when the airbag deploys it fires shrapnel at you and your family,” Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said.

Below are the latest details on which vehicles are affected. Make sure that you are aware of the models at risk within your own fleet along with your driver’s private vehicles. Make sure to share this information with your family and friends to ensure the safety of everyone on the roads.

Vehicles affected by the compulsory recall

Cars

Motorcycles

Trucks

(PRA No. is number given to each recall to help consumers reference the right information)