The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) warns of a new failure in some cars that endangers the safety of its occupants. On this occasion, the affected system is the airbag of some BMW, Audi and Skoda cars manufactured a few years ago. According to his calculations, there could be some 300,000 affected cars in Spain, if all versions of the models mount the airbags in question.
As reported by the organization, the problem has been discovered thanks to the European Union’s Rapid Alert Service for Dangerous Non-Food Products, a portal that periodically reports failures in all kinds of products. In recent days, a large number of warnings have been detected that correspond to different car models and brands, but that have one thing in common: the airbag that causes the problem is the same in all of them.
The airbag is a bag of gas that inflates immediately after the car suffers a significant impact. Its main objective is to cushion the blow of the passengers of the vehicle after the collision, thus reducing the risk of suffering more serious injuries. Together with the seat belt, it is the most important passive safety element fitted to cars, so its proper functioning is crucial.
In fact, according to data from the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE), it reduces the risk of death of the driver and his co-driver in an accident with a frontal collision by up to 30%. However, it was not until 2006 when the obligation for all new cars manufactured in Europe to equip this vital system was introduced.
Going back to the case denounced by the OCU, the security failure is reproduced in the airbags manufactured by the Japanese company Takata. As the organization explains, “it consists in the fact that, over time, the airbag, or the propellant in other models, can deteriorate. This causes excessive internal pressure if deployed which could cause the body of the inflator to explode, whereby metal fragments could penetrate the cushion material and cause injury to occupants.â€
This is not a weak assumption, but has been proven in numerous real cases in the past. Perhaps the name of the Takata company will sound familiar to more than one, since in 2017 it declared bankruptcy after the crisis it suffered due to the lack of trust from customers, both individuals and automobile manufacturers. The reason was none other than the discovery that their devices could be deadly when activated and had, in fact, caused the death of several people.
And it is that the case of the air bags of the Japanese company comes from afar. Before going overboard, Takata pleaded guilty in a Detroit court to defrauding car companies and citizens by installing faulty airbags in 42 million vehicles in the United States, despite knowing they were dangerous. And they also came to Europe.
Below, we provide you with a list of the models that can be equipped with one of these defective airbags:
All those owners whose car meets the requirements of the previous list should go to their manufacturer to check if they have a defective airbag. Otherwise, a malfunction could harm the occupants of the vehicle in the event of a collision.
As explained by the OCU in a note “the manufacturers of Audi, BMW and Skoda are calling on users with these vehicles to replace the dangerous airbag”, although they recommend “contacting the brand’s after-sales service” to find out the details of the procedure.
