New NZTA airbag tests
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has confirmed it will require greater checks of imported vehicles to ensure airbags have not been disabled as a quick fix in the Takata recall. Earlier today, Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) CE David Vinsen said there was a concern vehicles with disabled airbags could be unwittingly imported into New Zealand. NZTA now says it will require new checks from tomorrow (Wednesday, 5 September). It has become aware of the practice of disabling passenger-side airbags of vehicles subject to the Takata recall. The disabling of these airbags is occurring in Japan, where a capacitor is being fitted to the wiring so the dash warning lamp continues to operate normally, the agency says. The new requirement means all compliance inspections must include removal of the glovebox and inspection of the wiring, to ensure the airbag is connected. If an airbag is found to have been disconnected, the vehicle will be rejected and reconnection will be required before it can be certified for import, the NZTA says. Due to liability issues, the inspection agencies may require reconnection to be completed in a workshop and the vehicle returned for recheck. Any importer who has a vehicle rejected is recommended to engage an experienced technician to do the reconnection, as an incorrect connection could cause deployment of the airbag, the NZTA says. IMVIA’s Vinsen says the disabling of the passenger-side airbags has happened because Takata is struggling to manufacture the large volume of new inflators needed to fix all affected airbags. Vehicles sold with disabled airbags have a sign advising consumers not to use the front passenger seat. They are still subject to recall in Japan, he says. Despite the new check being needed, the inspection process for imported vehicles is “extremely stringent”, Vinsen says. The Takata airbag recall is the largest vehicle recall in history and replaces Takata’s airbag inflators which can rupture the airbags. It affects 100 million vehicles worldwide and about 300,000 vehicles in New Zealand.
