Car-makers in New Zealand are recalling more than 50,000 vehicles over a potentially deadly airbag fault. It's part of an international recall of more than 34 million vehicles, due to an issue with problematic airbag inflators which could see airbags deploy with such force that it could send potentially lethal shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
Toyota and Nissan are among manufacturers that Tokyo-based manufacturer Takata supplies the problematic airbags to.
Nissan is recalling around 10,300 New Zealand vehicles, with details yet to be confirmed, according to reports.
Earlier this month Toyota New Zealand said it was recalling more than more than 26,000 Corolla, Picnic and Yaris models manufactured between 2001 and 2007, and another 3122 Yaris and 2760 RAV4 models manufactured between 2003 and 2005.
There had been no reports of New Zealand Hondas deploying their airbags, says national service manager Bryan Davis. However, it was the company's "highest priority" to recall the 16,384 Civic, Jazz, Accord Euro and CR-V models affected.
It is tracking down owners through registration and vehicle identification number details so arrangements can be made for replacement parts to be fitted. It also has a webpage, where owners can enter their car's details to see if it is part of the recall.
Motor Industry Association chief executive David Crawford says the recall is the biggest in New Zealand's vehicle history and it could take some time to resolve. Manufacturers going through government vehicle records could get to up to 85 percent of vehicles.
However, older vehicles' owner details could go missing over time and sometimes owners might decide against the airbag replacement.
Source: 3News
