Filenews 3 February 2025 - by Angelos Nicolaou
Since 2010, recalls of cars imported from third countries without European type-approval have never been regulated. As a result, about 200,000 vehicles may be recalled and owners may not be aware of it, Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Alexis Vafeadis told a news conference.
The competent Minister referred to the decrees issued today regulating 2 issues:
1) The revocation procedure
a) The decree imposes the immediate notification of the TFT for new revocations and then, subsidiarily, it informs the citizens
(b)A maximum implementation time for recalls is set with the right of the TUM to reduce the margin when deemed necessary due to the degree of risk
2) The restoration of the chain of information for recalls to car owners through the submission of certificates and statements during registration, transfer or technical inspection of vehicles.
The TFT, he noted, continues its own separate efforts to integrate all vehicles into manufacturers' databases.
As Mr. Vafeadis explained, "When manufacturers impose immobilization of vehicles due to danger, this is adopted by the TFT and the vehicles are immobilized. In this case, 138 vehicles for Takata airbags and 138 for brakes are immobilized.
For those car owners who have been immobilized and for those who choose on their own initiative to immobilize their vehicle, a proposal has been submitted to the Council of Ministers for the provision of free bus transportation that will be examined on Wednesday.
For the remaining vehicles (around 82,000) for which manufacturers assessed the risk but did not immobilise, the TFT reduced the implementation time of recalls from 18 months to 8 months.
The no-use recommendation announced in December 2024 continues to apply and in case this is not possible, it is recommended to limit their use in order to reduce risk.
Full speech by the Minister
Today, in accordance with the provisions of the Legislation, the decrees regulating vehicle recall issues are issued.
Recalls are regulated by European regulations and their management was included in National legislation in 2010 when it was harmonized with the European one.
Since then, some efforts have been made, through circulars of the Department of Road Transport, to regulate the procedure and apply rules for the implementation of recalls.
Throughout this period, from 2010 until today, recalls of cars imported from third countries without European type-approval have never been regulated.
Since 1998, approximately 810,000 cars have been registered in Cyprus, of which approximately 442,000 are second-hand. Although some dealers monitor recalls of used cars (without European type-approval), it is reasonably accepted that for a large number of owners are not informed about recalls.
Of the total vehicles, about 80,000 have been recalled for Takata airbags. Many vehicles have a recall for other issues, some dangerous and some less dangerous.
Therefore, we are called upon today all together, as a society and as a state, to provide solutions to a timeless problem.
Through the actions it will undertake and through the powers that the legislation has given to the Department of Road Transport, in cooperation with all stakeholders, we will solve the problem.
According to Regulation 2018/858 of the European Union, manufacturers are responsible for risk assessment and recalls, while the TFT is responsible for supervision. These responsibilities are not differentiated in legislation or decrees.
2 decrees are currently being issued.
Although the preparation of 4 decrees was mentioned earlier, after the legislative review two were merged into one and the other was decided to be issued depending on market developments and the pace at which the implementation of the revocations will proceed.
These are the two decrees
The Recall Procedure for Vehicles of Categories M, N and O, Decree of 2025
The procedure for revocation is described in detail in the Annex to the Decree but briefly provides the following:
1) Immediate information to the owners by the distributors and the TFT
Distributors immediately notify the TFT of all recalls, unlike previously when the TFT was only notified if distributors could not identify the owners.
This allows the TFT to,
– quickly inform all owners
– ensure that distributors also inform owners directly;
The previous notification procedure by distributors continues to apply.
2) Implementation of recalls of a general nature within 18 months or, if the TFT considers that the process needs to be accelerated, faster.
A similar approach applies in countries such as Germany, Australia and New Zealand where the competent authority supervises recalls and varies implementation times accordingly.
-For cases where the risk is lower, the implementation time is maintained at 18 months.
-When the risk is greater, the TFT reduces the time after taking manufacturers' risk assessment seriously.
-If the manufacturers, after assessing the risk, consider that the vehicle should be immobilized, the TFT immediately adopts the recommendation and imposes the immobilization by withdrawing the Certificate of Suitability and the registration certificate.
3)Implementation of the recall and updating of the TFT.
Decree for INFORMATION through certificates and statements
the Certificate for Vehicles of Category M, N and Decree of 2025
The decree obliges all persons registering or transferring vehicles to provide the competent authority with a certificate that:
-the vehicle is not subject to recall and that
-has joined the distributor's database for future updates on recalls.
The process aims to ensure, inter alia, that:
-filling gaps identified in informing owners of recalls and
-that during registration and transfer, cars are free of recalls.
Exceptions apply in the following cases:
-If there is no manufacturer (such as Saab)
-If there is no known recall procedure (such as for older vehicles for which no records are kept)
-If there is no representative or distributor of the manufacturer in Cyprus (such as for vehicles imported second-hand)
In cases of exceptions, owners will submit a statement of attestation for the recalls accompanied by certificates from a survey conducted on the manufacturers' website or other certification body announced by the TFT. Details of the procedure are included in the TFT circular to be published.
This arrangement applies for as long as the emergency measures provided by law are in force. The TFT is working to strengthen the information chain of vehicle owners and will attempt to integrate these vehicles into the databases of manufacturing companies or to cooperate with foreign certification bodies that have access to the manufacturers' register. This action is expected to be completed shortly.
138 vehicles immobilized for airbags and another 138 for brakes
- Some vehicles are immobilized
Specifically, for 138 vehicles recalled for Takata airbags, manufacturers have assessed the risk and have concluded that they should be immobilized.
The Certificate of Suitability has been withdrawn and the marketing authorisation cancelled.
The owners will be informed by the distributor and alternatively by the TFT.
On the website where all vehicles with recalls will be posted, these vehicles will also bear a corresponding indication informing about the immobilization.
The TFT has recently updated on another 138 vehicles with a recall for brakes for which the manufacturer's instructions are to be out of circulation. For these, too, the Certificate of Suitability has been withdrawn and the registration certificate has been cancelled, bringing the total number of vehicles immobilized to 276.
2) About 82,000 cars are recalled for airbags.
All are included in a table posted on the website of the TFT and the Ministry, which contains information about each vehicle.
Owners are invited to contact manufacturers' distributors for more information on the risk and to set a date for the implementation of the recall.
In a statement, the TFT has revised the time given for this case of completion of recalls for Takata airbags from 18 months to 8 months.
This decision was based on,
-the risk assessment of manufacturers who highlight the risk but do not immobilise vehicles,
and
-the practice applied in other countries such as Germany, Australia and New Zealand that allow time for the implementation of the recall when manufacturers do not impose their immobilization.
Finally, for those vehicles under airbag recall that do not have a stop directive from the manufacturers, 8 months are given for its implementation.
Until then, all owners are urged to take measures to further reduce the risk, such as moving wherever they can with other vehicles, and to heed the no-use recommendation announced by the Ministry in December 2024.
3) Control of revocations during registration and transfer
For registration or transfer, vehicle owners must submit a certificate or statement, as appropriate, of the condition of the vehicle in relation to the recalls.
4) Control of recalls during roadworthiness test
During the technical inspection, the IKTEO officer will check for the existence of a recall in the TFT computer system. For all vehicles that are recalled, the IKTEO officer will inform the owner and the recall procedure included in the decree will be followed. For more information, see the Circular that will be published today.
Other recalls
The decrees deal with recall issues in general, but the information available to the TFT on vehicles without European type-approval (generally on imports of vehicles from Japan and Singapore) concerns only recalls for Takata airbags.
All owners of cars without European type-approval are invited to contact manufacturers' dealers to find out if their vehicle is subject to any recall.
The effort that the TFT will make with its own separate actions to include all these vehicles in the manufacturers' database is recalled.
Alternative transportation
For those car owners who have been immobilized and for those who choose on their own initiative to immobilize their vehicle, a proposal has been submitted to the Council of Ministers for the provision of free bus transportation that will be examined on Wednesday.
For more information, an announcement by the Ministry will be issued.
Collaboration
All stakeholders are invited to cooperate continuously for the faster implementation of recalls. A special role is played by manufacturers' distributors, whose cooperation is considered important.
TFT will contact all distributors separately to discuss the implementation plan of the recalls and to assist in managing any problems they may encounter.
