Airbags: ‘I hope we do not mourn other victims’

MPs on Tuesday heard that thousands of cars installed with faulty airbags could make for a “ticking time bomb” while one former official called for such vehicles to be temporarily immobilised.

Parliamentarians revisited the issue of Takata airbags, which have faced a recall for years but gained traction here in Cyprus after the death of 24-year-old Kyriacos Oxinos in January 2023.

According to the police report at the time, Oxinos, who died in a car crash, may have been killed by a faulty Takata airbag, which when released sends shards of metal flying.

In addition, a similar incident is thought to have caused the death of 19-year-old Styliani Giorgalli, while another young man has had to undergo several surgeries due to the airbag exploding.

In parliament, Oxinos’ mother pleaded with authorities to act now to save lives.

“I come here before you because I lost my child, a swimmer, a young man who attended university and had dreams, and who one night they brought to me inside a box,” Maria Loui said in her remarks.

“When it was proved that Kyriacos had no injuries but that his face was mangled, I discovered the word ‘Takata’ which I didn’t know previously, and I discovered Rapex for myself.”

Rapex is the EU-wide rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products.

“I hope that until measures are taken, we do not mourn other victims, as the explosion [of the airbag] can happen unexpectedly, even due to weather conditions.”

Loui added: “If we continue to show indifference, it would be criminal.”

Responding to an MP’s earlier query, the Road Transport Department has said it estimates up to 12,000 cars in Cyprus may have this make of airbag. This relates only to vehicles imported from the United Kingdom and the European Union.

But it’s now said that the actual number of all cars could range between 25,000 and 30,000 if one includes imports from Japan and Singapore.

Petros Xenofontos, former head of the Road Transport Department, advised that cars installed with Takata airbags must immediately be taken off the road. He added that the department can alert the public via SMS messages to mobile phones.

“From the moment someone is notified and until they have the airbag replaced, the car should be immobilised and the expenses covered by the importer,” said Xenofontos.

And he likened the faulty airbags to “a gun that can shoot you.”

Giorgos Louka, current head of the department, said they issued a press release last week on how the matter should be handled.

He said also that the department has made arrangements with the Electricity Authority of Cyprus, so that utility bills feature an advisory concerning the airbags.

For his part, chairman of the House commerce committee Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis rebuked the government for behaving like “a passive observer”.

The Disy MP spoke of “thousands of bombs on the roads”. He called for the matter to be legislated on before Christmas.

Other parliamentarians stressed that dealerships should replace defective airbags for free, expressing frustration at anecdotal evidence heard earlier that dealerships were charging customers anywhere from €75 to €160 for such checks.

Speaking to reporters after the committee session, Disy’s Nikos Sykas described the situation as a “ticking time bomb” and said parliament would have to step in and act as the government has done nothing.

Takata airbags had been recalled in previous years, with one announcement on the website of the importer of the car Oxinos was driving showing the recall dated as far back as 2010. Several makes of cars use Takata airbags.

The fault is related to exposure to high levels of heat or humidity, with Takata airbags having a tendency to explode when released under such circumstances. This then shoots the airbag’s metal inflator outwards and in the direction of the person it was designed to protect, potentially causing further injuries or, in some cases, death.