The faces of the airbags crisis: The shocking photos that will terrify millions of Australian drivers and lay bare the tragic toll inflicted by deadly safety devices as the government launches Takata recall
- A recall notice has been issued for vehicles fitted with defective Takata airbags
- There has been one death and one serious injury in Australia linked to airbags
- Worldwide the impact has been devastating with 23 deaths and 230 injuries
- These harrowing images show the shocking scars caused by faulty equipment
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Some were blinded in one eye, others were almost decapitated.
These harrowing images show the gruesome injuries caused by faulty Takata airbags, as the government orders a recall of 4million potentially lethal cars.
There has been one death and one serious injury associated with Takata airbags in Australia.
But worldwide the impact has been devastating with 23 deaths and 230 serious injuries linked to faulty airbags which fire shards of metal into victims' faces when they explode.
Stephanie Erdman's life 'changed forever' when she lost part of her vision after a minor accident in her 2002 model Honda.
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
Florida motorist Corey Burdick (pictured before and after surgery) lost an eye in 2014 when he crashed his 2001 Honda Civic into another car at just 24km/h
In September 2013, another car pulled in front of Ms Erdman's Civic, causing a collision near Pensacola, Florida.
The airbags deployed but the driver's side inflator blew apart, sending metal fragments into Erdman's eye and face.
She remembers thinking that she had lost the eye, feeling blood run down her face, and joking with the ambulance crew on a 45-minute ride to a trauma center.
Since then she's had four surgeries, some to remove metal fragments, and one to build a new eyelid from tissue taken from one of her ears.
She still had double vision and migraine headaches, and because she can't close the eyelid all the way, has trouble sleeping.
In Minnesota in 2013, Shashi Chopra was left completely blind when the passenger-side airbag in her 2002 BMW deployed as her husband was driving her and her son home.
Corey Burdick has shrapnel removed from his face in surgery after he went blind in one eye
He has been campaigning to get drivers to change their faulty airbags ever since
Corey Burdick is pictured here with a glass eye, campaigning in a video for drivers to check if their airbags are faulty
She said in 2014: 'I haven't seen a ray of sunlight. I am just living in a world of darkness.'
In 2017 a man from Sydney, 58, was the first Australian killed by the airbags after he collided with another car in Cabramatta.
An investigation by the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit indicated the man's death was likely caused after he was stuck in the neck by a small fragment because of the car's faulty airbag.
American Carlos Solis was almost decapitated when a piece of metal flew into his neck when the airbag in his 2002 Honda Accord deployed in a minor crash in Texas.
In Minnesota in 2013 Shashi Chopra (pictured) was left completely blind when the passenger-side airbag in her 2002 BMW deployed
In 2017 a man from Sydney, 58, was the first Australian killed by the airbags after he collided with another car in Cabramatta. Pictured: The scene
The recall is one of the largest and most significant recalls in Australia's history, involving four million cars with defective airbags - that's two-in-seven cars on the road. Pictured: The scene of the death of an Australian man from a faulty airbag
Two women, thought to be relatives of the man from Sydney who was killed, are devastated at the scene
American Carlos Solis was almost decapitated when a piece of metal flew into his neck
Carlos Solis lost his life when when the airbag in his 2002 Honda Accord (pictured) deployed in a minor crash in Texas
Florida motorist Corey Burdick lost an eye in 2014 when he crashed his 2001 Honda Civic into another car at just 24km/h.
He has been campaigning to get drivers to change their faulty airbags ever since.
In one campaign video, he says: 'I lost my eye because of a defective airbag. Take your car in today so this doesn't happen to you.'
The Australian government has issued a compulsory recall notice for vehicles fitted with defective Takata airbags which have caused injuries and fatalities.
The recall is one of the largest and most significant recalls in Australia's history, involving four million cars with defective airbags - that's two-in-seven cars on the road.
The decision follows a recommendation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on the back of an extensive investigation and consultation process.
An earlier voluntary recall process was deemed ineffective.
Takata airbag saga: Everything you need to know about Australia's biggest ever compulsory car recall - as it's revealed two in seven vehicles are affected
Takata uses ammonium nitrate in its inflators to create a small explosion and fill up the air bags quickly. But the chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to humidity and burn too fast, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel.
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.
The government has issued a compulsory recall notice for vehicles fitted with defective Takata airbags (pictured) which have caused injuries and fatalities
The recall is one of the largest and most significant recalls in Australia's history, involving four million cars with defective airbags - that's two-in-seven cars on the road (pictured is a Takata airbag)
2.3 million Australian cars are driving on the roads fitted with potentially deadly airbags (pictured)
WHO PAYS?
Vehicle manufacturers will be required to cover the full cost of replacement.
WHO WILL BE IMPACTED?
The compulsory recall will capture approximately 2.3 million vehicles that still have a defective airbag that needs replacement.
The order affects vehicles made by 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.
The decision follows a recommendation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on the back of an extensive investigation and consultation process (pictured is Stephanie Erdman's 2002 model Honda)
The defective airbags were made by Japanese company Takata and shoot shards of metal into the faces and throats of car occupants when released
BUT LABOR CALLED FOR A COMPULSORY RECALL IN AUGUST 2017?
The government only received the recommendation from the ACCC earlier in February.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims says 'it couldn't have been done any faster'.
Assistant Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar: 'I don't think anyone who understands the process could have accused us of dragging the chain.'
Labor frontbencher Tim Hammond: 'It is an indictment of this government that they have taken so long to pull the trigger on a compulsory recall.'
The compulsory recall will capture approximately 2.3 million vehicles that still have a defective airbag that needs replacement
Takata alpha airbags are an immediate and critical safety risk with people advised not to drive cars containing them (pictured is a Takata plant in Japan)
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Manufacturers, dealers, importers and other suppliers will be required to locate and replace Takata airbags in a staggered recall by December 31, 2020.
Recall notices will indicate and fit into three categories of severity: critical, active and future.
Car owners are urged to check the Product Safety Australia website or their vehicle manufacturer's website to see if the recall applies to them.
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