Car owners penalised for no good reason over airbags
REFERRING to the report “JPJ to warn car owners to replace faulty Takata airbags, ignoring it may lead to a summons” ( The Star, June 5), as a car owner, I would like to hail the efforts of the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and Transport Minister Anthony Loke to settle the problem. However, I would like JPJ and the Transport Minister to find out the causes of the delay in replacing the faulty airbags.
I would like to share my personal experience in the process of replacing the faulty airbags. It began more than a year ago when I received a letter from the car company instructing me to make arrangements for the replacement. I immediately contacted my car dealer and was shocked at being told that there was no stock available. I was told that I would be contacted when the stock arrived but I waited for many months and there was no news from the dealer. When I contacted the car dealer again, I was given the same answer.
Until about six months ago, I was receiving many reminder letters, some of which came via registered mail, from the car company. I proceeded to contact the car dealer again and the same answer of “no stock available” was repeated. The staff even suggested that I go to another state nearby to look for the stock myself. After that, I decided to call the headquarters of the car company to lodge a complaint.
After a harsh exchange with the officer in charge, the car company promised to provide the dealer with the stock and arranged for the replacement within a week.
When I arrived at the dealer’s service centre, the staff informed me that only the driver’s airbag needed to be replaced and duly did the replacement.
About two weeks ago, I received another letter from the car company reminding me to change the passenger’s airbag. So now I have to arrange for leave to get this fixed.
The car company is causing so many problems to the innocent car owner so why can’t the authorities take action against it instead?
I hope the Transport Ministry will investigate this matter and take action against the car company instead of penalising the poor car owner.