Australian consumer watchdog investigates air bag recall
SYDNEY, Australia — Australia’s consumer watchdog said on Monday it was urgently seeking information from the government regulator and car manufacturers after a magazine reported that recalled Takata air bags were being replaced by faulty air bags.
Australian consumer magazine Choice discovered car makers were refitting faulty Takata air bags in recalled vehicles as a temporary solution after questioning 14 car manufacturers in Australia.
Many confirmed that a percentage of the vehicles were refitted with like-for-like replacements and would need to be recalled again, Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said.
The Japanese company’s air bag inflators have been linked to 18 deaths around the world by firing metal shards when deploying, including a man killed this month near Sydney.