The Takata airbag safety recall remains the biggest in automotive history, involving at least two dozen carmakers, nearly 200 models and millions of units of vehicles.
For the uninitiated, a little over 10 years ago, a series of airbag-related injuries and deaths happened worldwide, including the tragic loss of a pregnant Malaysian woman’s life in 2014. Investigations pointed towards the manufacturer, Takata, which was found to have used an ammonium nitrate compound without a drying agent as the propellant for its airbag inflators.
This compound’s volatility can cause the inflator to explode, potentially ejecting shrapnel into the cabin and causing serious injury or even death to vehicle occupants. As airbags already inflate with great speed and force, you can imagine how dangerous this can be, and something that’s designed to save your life should not instead become a threat to it.
In full recognition of this highly safety-critical issue that should not be taken lightly in the slightest, Audi Malaysia has been actively running the nationwide Takata airbag safety recall campaign for several years. Still, there remains 2,242 owners in Malaysia who have yet to replace their airbags.
If you own a Model Year 2010 A3, A4, A5, A5 Cabriolet, A6, Q5 or TT, or a Model Year 2011 A6, enter your vehicle identification number (VIN) into the online Service Action checker. If your vehicle is affected, contact your preferred authorised service centre (see all locations here) as soon as possible for an inspection and airbag replacement, free of charge and hassle.
If you’re not an owner but know someone who owns any of these models, do help pass the word – you could save his or her life.