1.2 million airbags checked on new website

More than one million vehicles have been checked on a new website designed to help owners find out if their car has a potentially deadly Takata airbag.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) launched a new website last week  - IsMyAirbagSafe.com.au - which allows Australians to check the registration of their vehicle to see if it’s fitted with a Takata airbag that requires changing. It is part of a new advertising campaign using the tagline ‘Don’t Die Wondering’ to try and get those with the dangerous airbags to take action to the recall notices from car makers.

The faulty Takata airbags can propel shrapnel from the car’s steering wheel into the face and neck of the occupants, potentially causing fatal injuries, in an accident. So far more than 20 people around the world have been killed by the Takata airbags, including one Australian.

The FCAI has now released data from the site’s first week in operation revealing more than 769,000 unique visitors performed more than 1.23 million registration checks. Of that number approximately one in nine had defective Takata airbags.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the numbers were a good sign that Australians are taking the airbag recall seriously. The recall began in 2015 but many owners are ignoring car maker’s requests to visit a dealer for replacement parts.

“We’re pleased how the public has responded to this important safety message and it is interesting to note that a large proportion of the website visitors are checking more than one vehicle,” Mr Weber said.

“The campaign was specifically designed to both raise public awareness of this issue and to motivate vehicle owners to use our web tool to deliver a quick and easy answer.

“There are just over three million vehicles across Australia affected by the Takata recall and the industry is now about halfway through that task. There’s a lot of airbag inflator replacement work going on in dealerships right around the country.”