Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda recall thousands of grey imports for Takata airbags

The global Takata airbag recall campaign continues over a decade after it started, with Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda today recalling thousands of grey imports in Australia to replace potentially lethal inflators.

While none of the three companies imported these vehicles themselves – they were supplied under what’s called a concessional entry pathway – they’re nevertheless recalling these grey/private imports.

They’re also warning owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately.

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The recalls affect a total of 1884 Mitsubishis, 703 Toyotas and 16 Hondas, all produced from 1996 to 1999. A full list of affected models, as well as the relevant Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) lists, is attached further down in this article.

CarExpert understands the Australian government “strongly recommended” the companies conduct the recalls, though it didn’t force them.

It’s unclear just how much this likely extremely expensive recall action will cost the respective brands.

The companies say they’re rectifying these vehicles on behalf of third-party importers “due to the complex and technical nature of an airbag replacement and disposal”.

We’ve contacted Mazda and Suzuki to confirm if they’ll be conducting any similar recalls.

Nissan has confirmed none of its vehicles are impacted by this recall as it didn’t use the problematic Takata NADI 5-AT airbag inflator.

Affected Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda vehicles may be fitted with this NADI 5-AT driver airbag inflator, which the companies will replace as they warn it “could allow moisture to enter the unit and degrade the airbag propellant”.

“If this occurs, the properties of the propellant may be changed so that the propellant does not react as intended during a collision, causing mis-deployment of the airbag,” the companies say.

“If an affected vehicle is involved in a collision, the airbag inflator could rupture, causing sharp metal fragments to enter the vehicle cabin at high speed, killing or injuring vehicle occupants.

“There is also a risk that the defect could lead to slow deployment and not protect the driver as intended in a collision.”

All three companies are using effectively the same line.

“In the interests of public safety, and being mindful of their responsibility as a corporate citizen, Toyota Australia has volunteered to repair these vehicles free of charge,” says Toyota Australia in its recall notice.

“Local distributors are demonstrating extraordinary corporate citizenship in taking this recall action. In the interests of public safety Mitsubishi Motors Australia has decided to recall these vehicles,” says Mitsubishi.

“Local distributors are demonstrating extraordinary corporate citizenship in taking this recall action. In the interests of public safety Honda Australia is supporting the repair of these vehicles,” says Honda.

The challenge will be finding the latest owners of these vehicles, the oldest of which are close to 30 years old and which may have changed hands multiple times.

• The Toyota recall affects 703 examples of the Caldina, Celica, Corolla, MR2, RAV4, Supra and Vitz
• All models were produced between 1996 and 1999
• The VIN list is attached here
• The original recall notice is attached here
• Owners are advised to urgently contact a Toyota dealer, or direct any questions to its helpline on 1800 987 366

• The Mitsubishi recall affects 1884 examples of the Delica, FTO, Pajero and RVR
• All models were produced between 1996 and 1999
• The VIN list is attached here
• The original recall notice is attached here
• Owners are advised to urgently contact a Mitsubishi dealer on 1800 931 811

• The Honda recall affects 16 examples of the Accord, Civic, CR-V, Integra, Legend and Logo
• All models were produced between 1996 and 1999
• The VIN list is attached here
• The original recall notice is attached here
• Owners are advised to urgently contact a Honda dealer, or call Honda Australia Customer Serviice on 1800 804 954

Takata NADI 5-AT airbags had been fitted to a raft of vehicles from Japanese brands that were officially sold here.

For example, in 2020 a total of more than 18,000 Toyota, Mazda and Suzuki vehicles were recalled in Australia for having NADI 5-AT airbags.

The Australian government first issued a compulsory recall notice for all vehicles fitted with faulty Takata airbags on February 28, 2018.

On March 5, 2021, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced car manufacturers in Australia had successfully recalled 99.9 per cent of the 3.06 million vehicles that were subject to that recall.

A total of 4.1 million airbags were rectified or deemed complete under this recall, though it said this figure included: 94,927 vehicles unregistered for more than two consecutive years; 118,020 vehicles that had been written off or stolen; 40,741 vehicles whose owners couldn’t be contacted; and 58,198 vehicles whose owners didn’t respond to recall notifications.

Almost 40 deaths have been attributed to Takata airbags globally, with more than 100 million vehicles recalled globally.