Nationwide recall of airbags follows deaths overseas

More than 400 cars in the Far North could potentially be unsafe in an accident.

The vehicles all need new airbags, after the compulsory recall of Takata Alpha-type airbags, following 23 known deaths overseas from airbags exploding.

The nationwide recall came into effect in April this year but the latest data shows 411 cars in the Far North are yet to be repaired.

A total of 1062 cars in Northland and 35,000 cars nationwide are still awaiting repairs. About 60 per cent of affected vehicles have had their airbags replaced.

Commerce and consumer affairs minister Kris Faafoi is urging Northlanders to check if their vehicle has been affected by the compulsory recall.

“We know many Northland residents will be planning their summer road trips now and with, unfortunately, higher crash rates than we have seen before, it’s more important than ever that all airbags in vehicles are safe,” Mr Faafoi said.

Consumers can check if their vehicle has been affected by visiting rightcar.govt.nz, selecting the Takata alpha airbag recall page, and keying in their registration number. RightCar tells consumers if their vehicle has an Alphatype airbag that needs replacing and exactly what to do if that is the case.

“If a vehicle is affected, consumers are entitled to have their Alpha airbags replaced at no cost, no matter if the vehicle was purchased privately, through a dealer, new or second-hand,” Mr Faafoi said.

“I urge anyone who has received a letter from their car’s distributor to act on it immediately and get their airbags replaced.

“Overseas, there have been 23 known fatal cases of airbags exploding and sending fragments into the vehicle. While the risk of that happening in New Zealand is low due to less humidity in the air, which the airbags are more susceptible to, we need consumers to get on board to bring risk levels down, and keep our people safe.”

Mr Faafoi said he was pleased with the replacement work to date but there was no room for complacency. The motor vehicle industry is committed to replacing all Alpha airbags by December 2019.