General information. A recall notice, and the Department of Infrastructure’s Vehicle Recalls website, are the authority on any particular recall.
Two regulators, divided by what is recalled
Vehicle recalls are split between the Department of Infrastructure and the ACCC, and the line runs between road vehicles and consumer goods.
| What is recalled | Who handles it | The law |
|---|---|---|
| Road vehicles, such as cars, motorbikes, caravans and trailers, and approved road vehicle components | The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts | Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and Road Vehicle Standards Rules 2019 |
| Vehicles that are consumer goods rather than road vehicles, such as golf carts, quad bikes and motorised mobility devices | The ACCC | Australian Consumer Law |
| Accessories that are consumer goods, such as child car restraints, recovery straps and bike carriers, and caravan or camper problems that concern living in them rather than the vehicle, such as fridges and stoves | The ACCC | Australian Consumer Law |
The department took over road vehicle recalls on 1 July 2021. The ACCC also runs the compulsory airbag recall described below, and the two agencies renewed a memorandum of understanding on their roles on 17 March 2023.
Voluntary and compulsory recalls
A recall can be voluntary or compulsory. In a voluntary recall, a supplier that finds a safety problem in a vehicle or component, or finds that it does not meet the applicable standards, acts to fix it or to take it off the market. “Supplier” is a wide word here: it covers anyone who makes, imports, distributes, sells or resupplies road vehicles or approved components, including by lease, hire or hire purchase.
A recall becomes compulsory when the responsible Commonwealth Minister issues a compulsory recall notice to suppliers who appear not to have acted satisfactorily to prevent injury or to fix a failure to meet the standards.
Once a supplier starts a voluntary recall of a vehicle or component supplied in Australia, it has 2 days to notify the department, and every recall notice is published on the recalls website. The supplier chooses what action to take and what the remedy is, and reports its progress to the department as the recall runs.
Checking a car, step by step
- Watch for the notice. Owners usually hear about a recall from the place they bought the car, or from the supplier or manufacturer, by phone, email, post or text message.
- Search the recalls website. The department’s site lists active recall notices, and for the airbag recall below it lets owners look up a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
- Check with the maker. Some car makers’ websites can be searched by VIN, or even by registration number; the maker or the nearest dealer or service centre can also check.
- Follow the notice. The notice explains the next step, which most often means returning the car to the manufacturer so the safety problem or non-compliance can be dealt with.
- Stay on the list. The department offers a recall email alert for anyone who wants to hear about new notices.
The two airbag recalls
The NADI 5-AT airbag recall
This recall began in November 2019 and is still active. It covers airbags made between May 1995 and August 1999 with a propellant called NADI 5-AT, fitted to cars built between 1996 and 2001: around 85,000 vehicles across several brands.
The department explains the danger plainly. Poor sealing tape can let moisture into the airbag and degrade its propellant. If the airbag then goes off, it can drive sharp metal fragments into the cabin at high speed, injuring or killing the people inside; some may also fail to inflate fully and not protect the driver as they should. In Australia these airbags have been linked to at least four suspected misdeployments, with two deaths and two serious injuries.
The department urges anyone with a car built between 1996 and 2001 to check its VIN urgently. In most cases an affected car goes to the manufacturer or a dealership for repair, free of charge.
The compulsory airbag recall
A separate and earlier recall covers a different set of defective airbags. It was made compulsory on 27 February 2018 after an ACCC safety investigation, takes in more than 3 million vehicles, and is described by Product Safety Australia as the most significant compulsory recall in the country’s history. Most of the affected vehicles have been accounted for. The ACCC monitors it, while the department monitors the NADI 5-AT recall.
Imported and concessional vehicles
Concessional importers sell legal, non-counterfeit vehicles outside the normal distribution channels, sometimes with no link to the car’s maker. The importer or registered automotive workshop that supplied such a vehicle is responsible for any recall that affects it.
Some grey-imported cars caught by the compulsory airbag recall are called orphan vehicles, because no supplier is associated with them. For grey imports caught by the NADI 5-AT recall, Australian distributors linked to the original makers are taking what the department calls extraordinary action to fix them.
A recall scam to know about
In October 2024 the department warned of people posing as dealership representatives and offering to collect cars for outstanding recall work. Suppliers generally carry out recall repairs only at an in-person appointment with an authorised dealership service centre, and the department suggests checking any collection offer with the dealer or manufacturer, using contact details you have found yourself.
Questions about a recall can go to the department’s recalls line, 1800 815 272 within Australia, from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Thursday and 9 am to 4 pm on Friday (AEST), or by email to recalls@infrastructure.gov.au.
Routine servicing and the warranty are covered in servicing a new car and the warranty.