Clarification: The ninth paragraph of this media release was amended on 10 January 2020 to clarify details of Toyota's buy-back and alternative transport offer.

These vehicles are fitted with potentially deadly Takata NADI 5-AT airbags.

“These airbags could injure or kill people in the car by misdeploying in an accident and propelling parts or metal fragments into the cabin of the vehicle at high speed,” ACCC Acting Chair Stephen Ridgeway said.

“The airbags have also, in some instances, not fully inflated in a crash, thereby failing to protect drivers as expected.”

Owners of affected Toyota, Mazda and Suzuki vehicles are advised to stop driving their vehicles immediately and contact their manufacturer to arrange an urgent, free inspection.

Safety authorities in Australia have now received reports of four incidents involving suspected misdeployments of these airbags in Australia. These incidents resulted in a death and a serious injury in BMW vehicles, and a death and a serious injury in Toyota vehicles.

“Drivers must take these warnings seriously. These airbags pose a serious safety risk that could lead to deaths or serious injuries. Please do not put lives at risk, and consider other transport options if your vehicle is affected,” Mr Ridgeway said.

Consumers should check if their car is included in this recall by checking their vehicle’s VIN number in the table below or visiting the Takata NADI 5-AT airbags recall page. People who need help to check if their vehicle is affected, should ring the manufacturer’s hotline for help.

Toyota is offering to buy back vehicles or provide alternative transport options until the airbag is replaced. Toyota will arrange alternative transport options until the buy-back process or airbag replacement is completed.

Mazda and Suzuki are offering to buy back affected vehicles from their owners.

Today’s voluntary recalls by Toyota, Mazda and Suzuki follows voluntary recalls of nearly 17,000 vehicles by Audi, BMW and Ford since November 2019. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, supported by the ACCC, is seeking to finalise voluntary recalls by Honda and Mitsubishi. It is expected that these recalls will be launched very soon.

Audi, BMW, and Ford have already commenced recalls and are urgently contacting customers. If you have an affected Audi, BMW or Ford vehicle and have not yet been contacted, call your manufacturer urgently to arrange an urgent, free inspection.

In addition, Audi, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota have all agreed to consider providing urgent short term assistance for consumers who are experiencing significant hardship over the holiday period as a result of this safety issue. Consumers who wish to seek this hardship assistance can contact the vehicle manufacturer’s head office (contact details below). BMW owners can contact BMW to arrange for their vehicle to be towed for inspection.

Further information for consumers is available at: Recall of Takata NADI 5-AT airbags.

Background

These vehicles were fitted with Takata NADI (non-azide driver inflator) type 5-AT airbags, which were installed in about 78,000 Australian vehicles across eight manufacturers. A substantial number of these cars are likely to be still registered and on the road.

The NADI 5-AT airbags are different to the airbags recalled in a large number of newer cars from a broad range of manufacturers under the existing Takata airbag compulsory recall.

Drivers who have previously checked www.ismyairbagsafe.com.au to see if their airbag is affected by the compulsory recall those airbags, should also check the Takata NADI 5-AT airbags recall page.

The successor company to Takata, Joyson Safety Systems (JSS), has confirmed the safety risk in certain inflators supplied globally.

An equipment defect report was submitted to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on 3 December 2019, and recalls of affected vehicles are expected in the US early in 2020.

Immediately following the BMW recall in November 2019, the Department of Infrastructure contacted all car manufacturers to determine which other vehicles in Australia may be affected.

Vehicles that may be affected:

Make

Model

Years

Contact details for consumers

Audi

A6 4B/C5

A8 4D/D2

A4 8D/B5

TT 8N/1

Cabriolet 8G/B4

MY1998-2000

MY1998-2000

MY1997-2000

MY1999-2000

MY1998-1999

Audi Takata Information Line –

Ph. 1800 856 770

BMW

E46 3 Series

MY1997-2000

BMW Takata Hotline –  Ph. 1800 243 675

Ford

Courier

MY1998-2000

Takata Recall Hotline – Ph. 1800 503 673

Honda

Legend

CR-V

Accord

MY1996-2000

MY1997-2000

MY1997-1999

Honda Australia Recall Call Centre –

Ph. 1800 952 272 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 6pm AEDT)

Mazda

Eunos 800

MY1996-1999

Mazda Customer Support –

Ph. 1800 034 024

customersupport@mazda.com.au

Mitsubishi

NL Pajero

CE Lancer

WA Express

CE Mirage

WA Starwagon

MY1997-2000

MY1997-2000

MY1997-2000

MY1997-2000

MY1997-2000

Takata Hotline – Ph. 1800 931 811

www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/customer-assistance/contact-us

Suzuki

Grand Vitara

MY1998-2000

Customer Hotline – Ph. 1800 777 088

www.suzuki.com.au/airbag_investigation

Toyota

Starlet 3 door

Starlet 5 door

Paseo

Celica

RAV4 3 door

RAV4 5 door

MY1997-1999

MY1997-1999

MY1997-1999

MY1997-1999

MY1997-1999

MY1997-1999

Toyota Australia Campaign Helpline –

Ph. 1800 987 366(Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm AEDT)