It is “only a matter of time” before all the affected vehicle distributors in Cyprus have enough airbags to carry out the replacements required by the government’s recall decree, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Tuesday.

Speaking to news website Stockwatch, he said he believes all companies will be able to replace all the defective airbags which have been subject to recall within the eight-month timeframe set out in his decree.

“Mazda has ordered and expects to supply 4,000 airbags, but other companies are also placing orders with the aim of implementing the recalls,” he said.

He added that by the end of this week, the road transport department is expected to be able to collect and publish again the list of vehicles which are subject to recall, with that number set to “significantly” fall from the more than 80,000 which were recalled in the initial decree issued at the start of the month.

The process has not been without hitches, however, with Vafeades saying Toyota has informed him that it currently does not have the requisite personnel to deal with the more than 30,000 recalls which have been issued.

He said that to deal with this matter, the road transport department has contacted Toyota Europe, “which also stated its commitment to implement the recalls within the specified timeframe, though it did raise the issue of a lack of suitable personnel”.

For this reason, he said, his ministry is “exploring ways to support distributors” and respond to the requests they have made regarding finding suitable space to carry out the recalls, finding human resources, and providing facilities to ensure the timely ordering of enough airbags.

However, he did express his opposition to “companies which insist on imposing administrative costs on the public during the process of replacing defective airbags, especially with used vehicles”.

To combat this, he said, he is entertaining the possibility of issuing a new decree stipulating that the airbags’ replacement be “completely free”.

“Within the framework of the legislation, we are examining how the issuance of a decree can be determined and that will stipulate that the entire recall process be free of charge for all companies,” he said.

The issue of airbags stems from the production of faulty airbags manufactured by Japanese company Takata. The company’s airbags suffer a fault related to exposure to high levels of heat or humidity, with which means they have a tendency to explode when released under such circumstances.

This explosion shoots the airbag’s metal inflator outwards and in the direction of the person it was designed to protect, potentially causing further injuries or, in some cases, death.

Vafeades earlier this month decreed the recall of over 80,000 cars which are fitted with potentially fatal Takata airbags, all of which are to be replaced over a period of eight months. Exactly 276 vehicles were immobilised immediately, and as such have had their road tax and MOT certificates rescinded.

Owners of recalled vehicles not on the list of 276 are entitled to use them without restrictions but are required to make an appointment with their car’s manufacturer’s Cyprus-based distributor within eight months to have their airbags replaced. Their road tax and MOT certificates remain valid.

The transport ministry “recommends” that those with recalled vehicles do not use them and use other vehicles and other methods of transport. However, there is no obligation for people to follow this recommendation, and motorists are not at risk of paying a fine for using their vehicles.

Motorists can check whether their vehicles have been subject to vehicles on the transport ministry’s website.   https://www.gov.cy/mtcw/airbag-recalls/

Vafeades said those who have had their vehicles’ airbags changed should contact the road transport department on recalls@rtd.mcw.gov.cy, “so that we can remove them from the list”.

The issue of faulty Takata airbags has been ongoing for over two years, with it believed that the death of 24-year-old Kyriakos Oxinos in January 2023 was caused in part by a faulty airbag.

More recently, it is now believed that the death of 19-year-old Styliani Giorgalli in October may have been caused by a faulty Takata airbag.