Some 12,000 Australian cars with potentially deadly Takata airbags require "critical" repairs and shouldn't be driven until they're fixed, the consumer watchdog says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Defective airbag inflators are still to be replaced in more than 730,000 vehicles, including 180,000 Holdens and 97,000 Toyotas, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said on Thursday.
The biggest worry is 8800 vehicles with the "alpha" airbag and more than 3000 others deemed "critically requiring repair", ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said.
"These cars pose a serious and heightened safety risk and should not be driven," she said in a statement.
The alpha airbag can have up to a 50 per cent chance of misdeployment if triggered in an accident.
Sydney man Huy Neng Ngo, who died in 2017 when metal struck his neck, is one of more than 20 fatalities worldwide linked to the Takata faults.
Vehicle models with critical non-alpha airbags include Honda's CR-V, Jazz, City manufactured between 2002 and 2012 and Toyota Corolla Ascent sedans made between 2004 and 2007.
Just 58,000 airbags were replaced in March - the lowest rate of repair since April 2018.
All 2.8 million vehicles in Australia fitted with Takata airbags need to be replaced by December 2020. Replacement is free.
The local recall affects 20 makes and more than 100 models produced between 2001 and 2018.
Drivers are able to check if their car is affected by checking IsMyAirbagSafe.com.au or texting "Takata" to 0487 AIRBAG.
Mr Ngo's death - after a minor collision in Cabramatta in July 2017 - is subject to an ongoing NSW coronial inquest.
Australian Associated Press
