The road transport department lacks the legal framework to ground Mazda Demio vehicles recalled for Takata airbag replacement, but new legislation could change this from January 2025, the department’s director George Louca told the Cyprus News Agency.
The recall affects approximately 11,000 used vehicles imported from non-EU countries, requiring replacement of their Takata passenger-side airbags.
Louca praised Geo Pavlides Automotive, Mazda’s Cyprus distributor, for promptly responding to the department’s November request for recall information. The company confirmed the affected vehicles after consulting with the manufacturer.
“This is an enormous volume of vehicles, so we need to give the company time to establish appropriate structures to respond and serve the public,” Louca said.
Under current regulations, vehicles subject to recall cannot have their roadworthiness certificates suspended. However, pending legislation to be voted on Thursday would automatically suspend certificates for vehicles posing serious safety risks, effectively grounding them when the law takes effect on January 31, 2025.
Louca acknowledged that fixing all affected vehicles would take longer than a month, noting that the company needs to hire dedicated technicians for airbag replacements.
The Ministry of Transport is considering support measures for affected vehicle owners, while complaints about administrative costs charged by companies for airbag replacement are being referred to the Consumer Protection Service.
The recall came after the department requested all car representatives to report potential recalls for both imported used vehicles and new cars purchased in Cyprus.
Cyprus has confirmed two deaths caused by faulty Takata airbags.
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