NATIONAL dealerships are replacing more than 3000 Takata airbags a day as Australia’s biggest recall passes four months since compulsory replacement was mandated by the federal government on July 1.

But the slow response of some car owners has been trying the patience of the Queensland government, which is threatening to de-register the cars of recalcitrant owners with dangerous airbags.

The Queensland government last week started issuing defect notices to owners of more than 2000 vehicles fitted with ‘alpha’ airbags. It could lead to the cancellation of the registration if the airbags are not replaced within 21 days.

This follows moves in South Australia to refuse registration renewals of vehicles affected by the recall. This action is also underway in Tasmania but no other state or territory has announced any moves to follow.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) this week reported that in the past quarter, 350,000 faulty Takata airbags had been replaced under the mandatory recall notice.

It said that 2.5 million airbags had already been replaced in about 1.6 million vehicles since the start of voluntary recalls in 2009.

But there are still 1.4 million airbags fitted to about 1.2 million vehicles that need replacing and, of those, 12,000 ‘alpha’ airbags – regarded as the most dangerous – are still outstanding.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber said the Australian car industry had “been doing its absolute utmost to raise awareness of this serious public safety issue across Australia.

“This (Queensland’s move) is another example of courage and leadership that should also be adopted by other states and territories.

“Preventing people from simply re-registering these vehicles enormously reduces the risk to the community,” Mr Weber said.

The FCAI urged motorists to follow up and act on the information available via the website IsMyAirbagSafe.com.au, or the Facebook page (IsMyAirBagSafe).

Car owners can simply enter their plate and state into the website’s online tool and receive an immediate response about their airbag status.

The federal government’s recall mandate, announced initially in February, forces car-makers to comply with strict deadlines to replace the airbags by the end of 2020.

In a statement, the ACCC’s deputy chair Delia Rickard said: “We are pleased to see that car manufacturers are taking their responsibilities seriously and working hard to replace faulty airbags from customers’ cars.

“The safety of drivers is our highest priority and we must ensure these dangerous airbags are off our roads.

“Consumers who have been contacted by their manufacturer to have their car’s airbag replaced are urged to book in their cars for a free replacement before the Christmas holiday period. Don’t delay taking action when you get a recall notification letter.”

The ACCC said that affected airbags are being replaced according to a determined schedule that considers a number of risk factors, including airbags in older vehicles and vehicles in hot and humid conditions.

“This means that the recalls for some affected cars aren’t scheduled until later, however, all bags, including ‘like for like’ bags will need to be replaced by December 2020,” it said.

In July, car manufacturers launched a national awareness campaign asking consumers to check whether their vehicle is fitted with one of these dangerous inflators.

Consumers are reminded to check if their vehicle is affected by the recall by visiting ismyairbagsafe.com.au or texting “Takata” to 0487 AIRBAG (247 224).

By Neil Dowling