The ACCC is urging Australians driving a Ford Courier vehicle manufactured between 1998 and 2000 to check if the car is included in a new airbag safety recall.
Vehicle manufacturers have replaced 85 per cent of affected Takata airbags but the ACCC is urging people not to become complacent as the holiday period approaches.
Hai Feng International Pty Ltd, trading as Big Red Jacks Tools & Equipment (Big Red Jacks), has paid a penalty of $12,600 after the ACCC issued an infringement notice.
Transport safety authorities in Australia, US and Japan have identified a different type of Takata airbag that poses a critical risk of death or serious injury to vehicle occupants, prompting an urgent recall of around 12 000 BMW vehicles which may still be in use on Australian roads.
Major car manufacturers, including BMW, GM Holden, Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota, are warning that 20,000 vehicles already under recall for defective Takata airbags are now classified as “critical”.
Despite 80 percent of recalled Takata airbags in Australian vehicles having been replaced since July 2017, there are growing concerns that some communities are not getting the message.
Around 120 Australians have died as a result of do it yourself (DIY) car maintenance accidents since 2000, while many hundreds have been hospitalised due to injuries, and the ACCC is warning consumers to take extra care when repairing their vehicles.
The quarterly recall figures for Takata airbags reveal steady progress is being made in the recall but the ACCC is warning motorists not to become complacent.
Australia’s largest ever recall is nearly two thirds progressed with 2.8 million faulty Takata airbags replaced with around 1 million still outstanding.