Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa warns of cars with faulty airbags

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A regional competition watchdog has warned member countries about the use of certain brands of vehicles recalled by their manufacturers over faulty airbags that have already caused injuries and casualties across the globe.

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Competition Commission said that multiple vehicle brands, including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, and Ford, among others, manufactured between 2002 and 2015, have been affected by the latest recalls in the US and Japan, sparking alarm over similar vehicles that could have made their way into the region.

The affected vehicles are said to have been fitted with faulty airbags, manufactured by now-defunct Japanese manufacturer Takata Corporation, and are linked to at least 22 deaths and over 180 injuries across the globe.“The Commission therefore wishes to alert consumers in the Comesa region of the ongoing developments regarding the Takata airbags, for their information, since there is a high importation of used cars in the region,” the watchdog said in a statement.

A product recall involves retrieving defective or potentially unsafe goods from consumers while providing those consumers with compensation. Recalls often occur as a result of safety concerns over a manufacturing defect in a product that may harm its user.

In May, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a “Do Not Drive” warning to owners of 11 vehicle makes, among them, Pontiac, Acura, BMW, Chrysler, Infiniti, and Dodge, citing safety concerns due to the faulty airbags.

As of January this year, over 100 million Takata airbags had been recalled, pushing the manufacturer into bankruptcy after being overwhelmed with product recalls over safety concerns.

East Africa is largely a used car market, with the majority of vehicles imported into the region being second-hand, mostly from Japan and other markets across the globe.

In Kenya, for instance, more than 62,000 used vehicles were imported last year, about 94 percent of which came from Japan.

The recalled vehicles can still be returned to the original manufacturers for replacement of the faulty parts, even after a change of ownership, provided it is still intact.