Urgent safety alert issued for 'critical' Takata airbags in cars

[BENGALURU] Australia's competition watchdog issued an urgent safety alert on Friday for "critical" Takata airbags following warnings from major car manufacturers including BMW and Honda Motor.

"The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) is urging consumers not to drive these cars at all until the airbag has been replaced," the regulator said in a statement.

Car makers including Mitsubishi Motors and Toyota Motor warned that 20,000 vehicles currently under recall for defective Takata airbags are now classified as "critical", the ACCC said, adding that 425,971 vehicles are still to be rectified under the compulsory recall.

REUTERS