No WoF for Takata airbag cars

Tuesday, 26 November 2019

If you have a vehicle with an Alpha-type Takata airbag and haven't had it fixed by the start of next year, then you won't be getting a Warrant of Fitness.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi has announced that from the start of 2020, all vehicles identified as being fitted with Alpha-type Takata airbags that haven't been replaced will be flagged by the New Zealand Transport Agency and prevented from getting a new Warrant of Fitness (WoF), and that the vehicle will be considered un-roadworthy until the repairs are made.

According to the minister, 96 per cent of New Zealand-new vehicles with Takata Alpha airbags have been replaced and moving the compulsory recall into the final stage will aid in capturing the remaining airbags.

'I'm pleased with the progress of this recall, which has involved key brands in the motor vehicle industry, government agencies and consumer bodies,' said Faafoi.

**READ MORE:

* No Warrant of Fitness for faulty airbag cars?

* Government announces compulsory recall of tens of thousands of airbags

* Thousands of Kiwi motorists facing Takata airbag 'time bomb' - but doing nothing

* Takata airbag recall: What New Zealanders need to know**

'I am keen, however, to get a 'final push' in the next few weeks to get all remaining affected vehicles repaired. At the end of this year the recall technically ends and becomes the ongoing jurisdiction of the NZ Transport Agency.'

While only relatively few cars sold New in New Zealand remain, used imports that entered the country since 2004 make up roughly 94 per cent of the remaining 12,000 airbags yet to be repaired.

'So it's the owners of these vehicles who I'd particularly like to take notice, make contact with the relevant brand owner, and get their car booked in for a repair,' said Faafoi.

David Crawford, CEO of the Motor Industry Association - the body that represents new vehicle importers and distributors in New Zealand - agrees with Faafoi, telling Stuff 'This is something we have been asking for. We have worked hard as an industry in this matter and were aided significantly by the minister's recall notice.

'Having 96 per cent of New Zealand new vehicles repaired is a good result, as is 82 per cent of used imports, but there are still a few thousand cars out there. All owners of these cars have been contacted a number of times. The WoF flag is a very prudent step.'

But as Crawford points out, not all owners have kept their contact details up to date, something that the WoF check flag will help to address.

'While some of these vehicles may be picked up through a WoF check, recall experience shows many may be parked up, or their owners may not respond for extended periods of time. So the message here is that it's safer, in the long run, or before a vehicle is on-sold, to get a replacement now before a WoF check next year renders it un-roadworthy,' said Faafoi.

The Minister enacted the compulsory recall in April 2018 as part of a global initiative to replace the airbags, which have caused injuries and fatalities overseas due to faulty deployment.

'We're very fortunate in New Zealand that there haven't been any incidents with the Alpha airbags, but to ensure we remain incident-free, I am strongly reminding these vehicle owners to replace their airbags now,' Mr Faafoi said.

Is my car affected by the recall?

Six brands are affected by the Takata Alpha recall in New Zealand: Honda, BMW, Isuzu, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota (including Lexus).

It is important to note that the WoF flag only affects cars equipped with the Alpha-type airbag that is the subject of the compulsory recall - there is also a voluntary recall in place for the non-Alpha Takata airbags that some owners may have received notice of.

Alpha-type airbags are a subset of Takata airbags that have been identified as posing a significantly higher safety risk than other Takata inflators because they have been shown to rupture more frequently, hence the compulsory recall.

The airbags can be adversely affected by moisture and deploy with excessive force in a crash, sending shards of metal into the cabin. There are now 24 deaths worldwide attributed to the problem and more than 200 injuries. None have been reported in NZ.

The WoF flag affects only the most dangerous Alpha- type Takata airbags, fitted to earlier model (2001-06) vehicles.  The non-Alpha airbags could possibly develop the same fault, so will need to be replaced eventually, but the need is less pressing.

How do I check if my car has an Alpha-type airbag?

Concerned owners can check whether or not their vehicle is involved in the compulsory recall by going to the dedicated RightCar Takata recall website and entering their vehicle's registration plate in the search engine.

The vehicle identification number (VIN) - a unique 17 character serial number that can be found on your vehicle or in documentation (such as registration documentation) - can also be entered.

Again, it should be noted that the search engine will only show up Alpha-type airbags, so if you have received a recall notice for an airbag, but it doesn't show up in the search, then it is likely to be for the less-urgent non-Alpha type that should still be replaced, but won't be a part of the WoF flag.

Owners can also contact the distributor of their car directly.

Will it cost me any money to fix?

No. All vehicles sold new in New Zealand will be fixed free of charge by the importer.

While used imports are often a grey area in regards to recalls, the MIA has stated that its members will replace all Alpha-type airbags completely free of charge.