Takata airbag recall now affects 2 million Australian vehicles

ALMOST two million cars on Australian roads have been affected by the biggest automotive recall in history, according to the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

The Takata recall has impacted an estimated 100 million vehicles globally, after the Japanese company’s airbag inflators were linked to at least 16 deaths worldwide, including 11 in the U.S. where the firm is facing federal charges.

Specifically, 1,989,104 cars across eight manufactures in Australia have been listed in recall notices.

The fault can result in plastic becoming shrapnel as the airbag inflates in the case of a crash, potentially killing the vehicle’s occupants.

Most of those that have died from the faulty airbags were involved in slow-speed crashes they may otherwise have survived.

“As at 13 January 2017, a little under 2 million Australian vehicles have been recalled across eight manufacturers due to potentially faulty Takata airbags,” a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development told WHEELS.

“The Takata airbag recall is of an unprecedented size with around 100 million vehicle affected worldwide.

“For this reason, the Department is working cooperatively with manufacturers to ensure that affected vehicles are rectified as quickly as possible.”

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WHEELS requested a breakdown of numbers across all the affected manufacturers, but the Department was unable to provide specifics, “as this information may be commercially sensitive”.

The eight manufacturers who have issued recall notices are BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.

A report by the Wall Street Journal claims Takata is poised to plead guilty to charges laid by the US Justice Department as part of a $1.3 billion (US$1bn) settlement.

The settlement will allegedly be separated into a criminal fine, victim compensation and reimbursement to manufacturers who have suffered commercial losses from the unprecedented recall.