Ford joins airbag recall due to safety concerns

The ACCC is urging Australians driving a Ford Courier vehicle manufactured between 1998 and 1999 to check if the car is included in a new airbag safety recall.

Ford Australia today announced a voluntary recall of 216 Ford Courier vehicles which pose a serious safety risk that could lead to deaths or serious injuries.

The affected airbags are fitted with a NADI 5-AT propellant and are the same as airbags recently recalled by Audi and BMW. These airbags differ from airbags already recalled under the existing compulsory recall of Takata airbags, which is ongoing.

“These airbags may misdeploy in an accident, causing metal fragments to propel from the airbag and potentially injure or kill people in the car. Another risk is that these airbags may fail to fully inflate in case of an accident,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.

“We urge drivers to check if their vehicle is affected by checking the VIN number, the list of affected makes and models, or by ringing the manufacturer’s hotline.”

“We welcome Ford joining the recall before Christmas, and hope other manufacturers will urgently finalise recalls of their affected vehicles,” Mr Sims said.

Audi and BMW have already started voluntary recalls of affected vehicles and further recalls are expected in the new year.

NADI 5-AT airbags were installed in about 78,000 vehicles across eight manufacturers, and a substantial number of these cars are likely to be still registered and in use.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, supported by the ACCC, continues discussions with representatives of Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota to finalise satisfactory terms for voluntary recalls by these suppliers.

“Don’t risk it. If you have one of the potentially deadly vehicles, you should consider other transport options,” Mr Sims said.

Check if your vehicle is affected by looking at the table on this page of vehicles that may be affected or via the Product Safety Australia website.

Drivers who have previously checked www.ismyairbagsafe.com.au to see if their airbag is affected by the compulsory recall of the different type of Takata airbag, should also check the new link. Drivers should also continue to check for further recalls by other manufacturers in coming weeks.

If you have an affected vehicle:

• check if your vehicle is under recall: BMW, Audi and Ford vehicles are now subject to recall, and you should respond to the recall urgently
• if your vehicle is not yet under recall, contact your vehicle manufacturer to arrange to check if your car is affected
• consider borrowing a car from family or friends if possible, or using alternative transport options

In addition, Audi, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota have all agreed to consider providing urgent short term assistance for consumers who are experiencing significant hardship over the Christmas period as a result of this safety warning. Consumers who wish to seek this hardship assistance should contact the vehicle manufacturer’s head office. 

BMW owners can contact BMW to arrange for their vehicle to be towed for inspection.

Background

Ongoing cooperation between Australian and US authorities resulted in the identification of misdeployment incidents in Australia. The successor company to Takata, Joyson Safety Systems (JSS), confirmed the safety risk in certain inflators supplied globally.

An equipment defect report was submitted to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on 3 December 2019 and recalls of affected vehicles are expected in the US early in 2020.

Immediately following the BMW recall in November 2019, the Department contacted all car manufacturers to determine which other vehicles in Australia may be affected.

The Department is currently negotiating voluntary recall notices with five suppliers, with assistance from the ACCC.

Vehicles that may be affected

Correction: An earlier version of this media release included the Honda Legend MY 1996-1997 in the table of affected vehicles, however these vehicles are not affected by this recall and the media release was amended on 20 January 2020 to reflect this.

A further correction was made on 4 March 2020 to amend the years of Ford Courier models to MY1998-1999 to reflect an update to the recall.