ACT motorists who fail to replace faulty airbags may have their vehicle registration refused, suspended or cancelled under new legislation.
ACT Commissioner for Fair Trading, David Snowden said a change to ACT Road Transport legislation provided Access Canberra with the power to refuse, cancel or suspend vehicle registration of vehicles subject to a compulsory or voluntary recall notice.
“This change in legislation gives Access Canberra the power to take compromised vehicles off the road, such as cars with the faulty Takata airbags,” Mr Snowden said.
“Takata airbags, including the dangerous ‘Alpha’ subset, have been linked to fatalities and serious injuries in Australia and worldwide.”
He said the airbags could deploy even in low speed accidents, sending fragments or shrapnel into the vehicle interior at high speed.
“A compulsory recall of Takata ‘Alpha’ airbags was announced in April 2018,” Mr Snowden said.
“Other subsets of the airbag, such as ‘Beta’ are also subject to recall.”
He said Access Canberra had been proactively engaging with Canberrans who had registered vehicles in the ACT with Takata airbags installed.
“It’s unfortunate that we must put into place measures where we’re cancelling the registration status of compromised vehicles,” he said.
“Owners that fail to comply with compulsory recalls are not only putting their own lives in jeopardy, but that of their passengers as well.”
Mr Snowden said motorists unsure if their vehicle was affected by the recall could visit the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website at www.ismyairbagsafe.com.au.
