Takata airbag recall site launches in NZ, allowing drivers to see if their car's been affected

Thursday, 2 August 2018

Kris Faafoi said hundreds of thousands of vehicles on New Zealand roads have a potentially-dangerous airbag unit.

New Zealand drivers worried over whether their car has been affected by the global Takata airbag recall can now find out if they're in the clear with the click of a mouse.

A searchable database of affected cars on the Rightcar website has launched, allowing drivers to enter their registration plate or VIN with an instant answer being provided.

So far the database only includes NZ new and imported used cars affected by the compulsory recall for the Alpha airbag and not the cars affected by the voluntary recall for the Beta airbags that are not imminently dangerous, but will still need to be replaced.

The newly-launched Australian website allows anyone to enter a cars number plate to see whether it is affected by the recall or not.

The feature was made functional a few weeks back, but verification of some used import models has held up an official launch.

While the majority of brands are searchable on the website, not all are represented just yet, with a few smaller brands still awaiting confirmed figures.

The replacement part that is being put into cars for the faulty airbags issue recall vehicle safety

A dedicated website with a similarly searchable database was launched recently in Australia as part of one of the local motor industry's largest safety recalls.

**READ MORE

The Takata airbags were fitted to NZ new cars built between 1999 and 2006, but possibly a wider range of used imports.

* Takata airbag recall: half-way there, but still 50k to go

* Why such slow progress on Takata airbag recall?

* Takata airbag recall: Here's why you need to get it done**

As reported by Australia's www.drive.com website, the Australian effort has been led by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries that, along with the Australian car industry, grouped together to create a common website where users can enter a vehicle's registration number to see whether it is equipped with problematic airbags. People can also check vehicles owned by friends or family, as only number plate details are needed to see whether a car is affected or not.

According to Drive, Australian importers and distributors have also pooled resources to create the 'Don't Die Wondering' advertising campaign encouraging people to ensure their airbags do not pose a threat to vehicle occupants.

Globally, 24 deaths have been attributed to the faulty airbags, with 'Alpha' Takata airbags fitted to a wide range of cars sold new in New Zealand built between 1999 and 2006 (used imports may cover a wider age range) posing the greatest risk to drivers and their passengers.

The recall effort in New Zealand has been spearheaded by the Takata Recall Oversight Group that comprises of the Motor Industry Association (MIA), Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), the New Zealand Transport Association (NZTA) and consumer interest groups.

Over the past few months the group has been working on a process to make the recall more streamlined, a job made far more difficult due to the numbers of used imported vehicles in New Zealand, an extra obstacle that the Australian industry doesn't have to deal with.

A spokesman from the Minister for Civil Defence and Commerce and Consumer Affairs told Stuff 'A fully searchable website, where you can enter your registration plate details (or a VIN number), will be available in August.' There was no definitive date in August mentioned by the spokesman, but given that the function is live now, an official launch won't be far away.

'It will be publicly launched as soon as we have complete information from all affected manufacturers and the NZTA is confident in the integrity of the information available.

'There is currently limited information on the Rightcar website but if anyone wants to check their vehicle before the fully searchable website is available, they're advised to contact the New Zealand representative of their vehicle's manufacturer.'

Click here to see if your car has been affected by the global recall and search the database.