The president of the Green Party, Stavros Papadouris, appeared on the Protoselido programme to comment on the issue of thousands of vehicles still under recall due to Takata airbags and facing immobilisation. “Many of our friends, drivers, will be left stranded,” he said.
Papadouris reminded viewers that more than 19,000 vehicles are still pending replacement of defective parts- namely, the faulty and dangerous Takata airbags- despite legal pressure to speed up the process. “From 80,000 we are now down to 19,000 in just eight months,” he said, noting that the framework set by parliament- with a shorter deadline than the 18 months provided by EU regulation- had produced results.
However, he left open the possibility of a new extension, stressing that the Transport Ministry may need to allow about three more months, “until the end of the year,” to clear the backlog. He referred to two categories of owners: those who have contacted distributors to book an appointment, and those who, despite being notified, have not acted. “I don’t know to what extent there will be a distinction between these two groups,” he said, adding that some citizens cannot even get through on the phone to the companies.
He also highlighted complaints of charges for airbag replacement procedures by two companies. “Out of the 13 companies, only two decided to impose this cost. I say shame on them. Truly,” he said forcefully, claiming these charges could bring in around €4 million for the firms concerned. He added that the ministry bore responsibility for not activating the legal framework that would have prohibited such charges from the outset.
Finally, the Greens’ leader stressed the need for institutional safeguards in the future, with a permanent mechanism to monitor recalls. “It seems that with the relaunch of the road safety unit there will now be a responsible government body to coordinate the process. But one wonders how, in 2021, this unit was allowed to be abolished,” he said, describing the “mess” caused in the committee by the lack of central coordination.
Also read: 33,000 Takata airbag recalls still pending in Cyprus
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