The president of SEMHO (Association of Car Dealers), Sotos Trikomitis, warned today that car recalls will continue to rise- and potentially worsen- unless the government takes action.
Speaking on Protoselido, he said the five-year window used in vehicle import legislation is arbitrary, and undermines safety standards. He argued that all cars imported into the EU should meet European specifications, but many arriving in Cyprus are damaged and repaired locally, often without proper expertise or equipment.
Trikomitis noted that even cars from European factories continue to face recalls, while vehicles from third countries may have up to three outstanding recalls each.
He called on the government, the Road Transport Department, and the Ministry to take responsibility and address legislative gaps—warning of serious consequences if the issue remains unaddressed.
Currently, around 60% of all newly registered vehicles are used imports, with 450,000 imported used vehicles on the roads to date, compared to 330,000 new ones. He added that 50–70 cars from “grey countries” are registered every day, lacking proper standards.
Regarding the Takata airbag replacements, Trikomitis said: “It’s going to be very difficult to meet the deadlines- there are thousands of vehicles affected.”
