Stop driving NOW: Urgent warning issued to Aussie motorists over deadly fault in popular car
Thousands of Australian drivers are being urged to stop driving immediately following a compulsory recall of vehicles fitted with faulty Takata airbags, which have been linked to injuries and deaths.
BMW Australia has recalled 2,947 2010-2012 BMW 3 Series vehicles.
The affected vehicles were manufactured between March 18, 2010, and May 24, 2012, although some may have been sold after this date.
'As the airbag gets older, a combination of high temperatures and humidity can cause the airbag inflator propellant to degrade,' a Product Safety recall said.
'Do not drive your vehicle under any circumstances if your vehicle is affected,' the recall said.
'There have been serious injuries and deaths.'
Since the national recall campaign started in 2018, Australia has recorded one fatality and three serious injuries related to defective Takata airbags; however, none of these incidents involve the 2010-2012 BMW 3 Series mentioned in the recent safety alert.
Since 2018, the compulsory recall has impacted 2.3million vehicels in Australia
The order affects vehicles made by BMW, Ford, GM Holden, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, GMC, Honda, Jeep, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo and Hino Trucks.
BMW Australia has recalled 2,947 2010-2012 BMW 3 Series vehicles.
Millions of Australians have been impacted by the deadly airbags (pictured)
Check the full list of Takata recalls here.
Everything you need to know about the Takata airbag recall
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
High levels of moisture penetrating the airbag can alight the propelling mechanism too quickly, causing metal fragments to explode outwards.
There has been one death and one case of serious injury in Australia as a result of the faulty deployment of the airbags.
Worldwide, there have been at least 23 deaths and more than 230 serious injuries reported associated with the airbags.
Victims include Stephanie Erdman of Florida who said her life 'changed forever' when she lost part of her vision after a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda.
In Minnesota in 2013 Shashi Chopra was left completely blind when the passenger-side airbag in her 2002 BMW deployed.
In 2017 a Sydney man, 58, was the first Australian killed by the airbags after he collided with another car in Cabramatta.
Victims include Stephanie Erdman (pictured) of Florida who said her life 'changed forever' when she lost part of her vision after a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda
Takata alpha airbags are an immediate and critical safety risk with people advised not to drive cars containing them.
Other high-risk airbags will be determined by three factors: age, the location of the vehicle (in areas of high heat or humidity), and the location of the airbag in the vehicle.
WHO PAYS?
Vehicle manufacturers will be required to cover the full cost of replacement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cringeworthy moment Labor brags about building 17 new homes in seven months in a far cry from 1.2million goal
Labor has been slammed for bragging about building 17 new homes in Canberra in seven months - a far cry from its target of 1.2million homes in five years. 'We're here in Canberra visiting some brand spanking new homes, what do you reckon Chris?' Minister for Housing Clare O'Neil said in a TikTok on Friday. In an awkward game of catch, she tossed the phone to Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Planning and Sustainable Development, who then turned the camera on himself. 'Pretty good, 17 class C adaptable homes for new residents,' said a grinning Steel. He then threw the phone to Labor MP David Smith, who added: 'A great example of two Labor governments working together and taking pressure off housing right here in Bean'. 'And the good news is we're just getting started,' O'Neil said after Smith had tossed the phone back to her. 'This is 17 out of 55,000 social and affordable homes that our government is going to deliver to Australians over the coming few years.' The 55,000 social and affordable homes O'Neil mentioned fall under Labor's broader target of building 1.2million homes over five years from mid-2024. The policy known as the National Housing Accord includes $3.5billion in payments to state, territory and local governments to support the delivery of new homes towards the target, and a one-off $2billion payment to help states and territories to increase social housing stock. Aussies were quick to criticise the video, slamming the lacklustre seven-month timeframe for building just 17 houses. '17 homes in seven months... At that rate it will take you 1,886 years to complete the remaining 55,000 homes,' one said. 'You should reach your target by 2080 - what a joke,' said another. 'Do you realise another major building company has just declared bankruptcy?' a third asked. Critics have labelled Labor's housing target unrealistic, if not impossible, amid soaring construction costs and unfettered immigration. Australia had a record level of construction company insolvencies in 2025, a 24 per cent increase over last year's rate. Labor's policy requires 240,000 homes to be delivered every single year for five years - a significant improvement on Australia's record year of construction in 2017, when about 223,000 homes were built. Leith van Onselen, who formerly worked at the Australian Treasury and is the chief economist at MacroBusiness, said the construction sector was struggling. 'As a result, builders are caught between a rock and a hard place whereby they can't deliver stock at a profitable level, and that has created a major handbrake on housing construction,' Mr van Onselen said. 'We're still seeing lots of builders going under, and they're struggling to make a profit at the moment, which just means this housing construction target from the federal government is completely unrealistic. 'It's just too expensive to build housing in Australia at the moment, for a variety of reasons, and that just means that less housing is going to be built at the same time the government has the throttle on immigration.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Drama in Darwin as V8 Supercars is marred by TWO crashes just 15 seconds into the race
Broc Feeney has extended his lead at the top of the Supercars standings, holding onto pole position to win a crash-filled first race of the Darwin Triple Crown. The Triple Eight speedster's third consecutive win opened up his championship gap over teammate Will Brown to 107 points, keeping his cool despite the chaos unfolding behind him on Saturday. Feeney held off Tickford's Cam Waters at the opening turn and remained in front until the end. Waters opted to change all four tyres in his compulsory pit stop, sacrificing time off the track in the hope his fresher tyres would give him a speed boost to haul down Feeney later in the race. While he closed the gap to 1.7 seconds, it was not enough to haul down the 22-year-old, even with a clutch issue hampering his drive. 'It was super stressful. I didn't know how it was going to go,' he told Fox Sports. 'But it was awesome fun. Cam chasing me down, it was super hard out there. Hot, stressing, I had lots of stuff going in my head. 'I bloody love coming to Darwin, so stoked to win here.' It's Feeney's fourth race win at the venue, having won both races in 2024. It took just one turn for the first big shunt of the race to bring out the safety car. Wheel contact from James Golding fired Jaxon Evans into the barrier at the exit of turn one at high speed, dislodging his front left wheel and ruling his car out of the rest of the day's action. Thankfully, Evans walked away from the incident unscathed, except for a slightly sore foot. There was more drama straight off the restart. The grid was pinched together as drivers jostled for position on the 1.1km-long straight; at one point cars were five-wide as braking ahead squeezed the available space on the track. ABSOLUTE CHAOS ON THE SAFETY CAR RESTART! We're under control of the bp Ultimate Safety Car once more! #RepcoSC #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) June 21, 2025 Broc Feeney escaped the carnage to claim victory in his Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro Contact amid the cramped conditions sent Jack Le Broq into the wall, losing his front-left wheel, and seconds later a tangle between Nick Percat and Richie Stanaway on turn five left the PremiAir Racing man with heavy damage. Meanwhile, Ryan Wood's Ford Mustang lost power and emerged immobile out of the chaos. Walkinshaw Andretti United later revealed his car had suffered engine failure and was in doubt to start in race 18. We had to wait until lap 12 for the first green lap of the race. Off the second restart, Brodie Kostecki bumped past Matt Payne on the inside of turn one to move into third position and was handed a five-second penalty as a result. Payne eventually finished in third, while Brown managed to close six spots to finish in eighth after failing to make the top 10 earlier for both races. Hometown hero Bryce Fullwood narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing four seconds behind Payne in fourth. Feeney will start from pole position again in the second 120km race of the day, which kicks off at 3.40pm (AEST).
Auto Blog
4 hours ago
- Auto Blog
Honda Launches Killer Accord Hybrid Lease Offer for June
Honda Accord Hybrid lease deal for June The Honda Accord has been a solid competitor in the sedan segment for the past eleven generations, with the newest Hybrid model providing the same reliability and practicality with terrific mpg benefits. If you've been eyeing the Accord Hybrid for a while but needed another reason to sign on the dotted line, Honda's newest lease deal may be that reason. 0:00 / 0:09 Walmart is selling a 'heavy duty' $89 step ladder for $48, and shoppers say it's 'sturdy and secure' Watch More Honda seems to be holding a nationwide lease offer on the Accord Hybrid. We cross-checked Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, New York, and Michigan offers, and residents of all states can get behind the wheel of an Accord FWD Sport Hybrid for $389 per month for 36 months with $3,799 due at signing. All deals have a 10,000-mile annual limit. Owners of any 2010 or newer Honda, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fisker, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Polestar, RAM, Rivian, Scion, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, VinFast, and Volkswagen get the same Accord FWD Sport Hybrid for $359 per month for 36 months with $3,699 due at signing. 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid — Source: Honda What do you get in a 2025 Honda Accord Sport Hybrid? The Sport Hybrid is the base hybrid trim, featuring a 2.0 L I4 engine paired with two electric motors that send 204 hp through an e-CVT. The EPA rates the Sport Hybrid at 46 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 44 mpg combined, compared to the gas-powered base LX's 29 mpg city, 37 mpg highway, and 32 mpg combined. The hybrid also makes 12 extra hp over the LX. Snazzy touches on the Accord Sport Hybrid include 19-inch alloy wheels, a trunk spoiler, a power sunroof, an 8-speaker, 180-watt audio system, power driver seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility on its 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. Given that it's the same car size-wise, the same 16.7 cu ft of cargo space carries over. 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Final thoughts Lease offers can vary based on location and specific vehicle configuration (trim level, options, etc.) and are subject to credit approval. Advertised payments typically exclude taxes, title, registration, and other potential fees. To take advantage of this offer or to get a precise quote based on your needs (including an official $0 down option), visit the official Honda website here. 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid — Source: Honda *Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. The information presented herein is based on manufacturer-provided lease offer information, which is subject to frequent change and may vary based on location, creditworthiness, and other factors. We are not a party to any lease agreements and assume no liability for the terms, conditions, availability, or accuracy of any lease offers mentioned. All terms, including but not limited to pricing, mileage allowances, and residual values, require direct verification with an authorized local OEM dealership. This article does not constitute financial advice or an endorsement of any particular lease or vehicle. About the Author Gabriel Ionica View Profile
