The OCU warns of serious security failures in thousands of Audi, BMW and Skoda cars

2023-04-18 19:51:31

When it comes to moving on the roads, one of the aspects that most concerns drivers is the safety provided by the vehicles we use daily. In this sense, passive safety, which aims to reduce possible consequences for passengers and the vehicle in the event of an accident, has a series of elements that reduce the possible dangers that we may suffer, among which are: the chassis and bodywork of the vehicle, the seat belt, the child restraint systems, the windows and the airbags.

Tataka’s airbag problem

Regarding the latter, several years ago the danger posed by those Tataka installed in millions of vehicles since 2008 made headlines around the world. 20 Americans lost their lives to faulty airbags that the Japanese company installed in about 70 million vehicles from 19 manufacturers different, which caused the largest recall in the company’s history and its bankruptcy.

However, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has launched an alert stating that numerous vehicles of the Audi, BMW and Skoda brands continue to have airbags from the Japanese company Tataka.

As reported by the organization, these airbags can deteriorate over time and cause, if activated, excessive internal pressure that could cause the body of the inflator to explode. Also, due to the architecture of these elements, container explosion creates metal fragments that become projectiles that can cause serious injury or even deathto the occupants.

In this sense, the European Union has issued a security alert through its Rapid Alert Service for Dangerous Non-Food Products, formerly known as RAPEX, in which it has reported the main brands of vehicles affected by defective airbags.

As the OCU has revealed, “Only in Spain it is estimated that there could be up to 300,000 affected cars for this ruling.” In addition, he has indicated that “most of the affected cars are between 6 and 12 years old, although the Audi A4, A6 and variants may be earlier.”

What are the affected vehicles?

Although, as the OCU has revealed, the manufacturers of Audi, BMW and Skoda They are appealing to users with these vehicles to replace the airbag. The organization reminds us that: “In case you have one of them, you can also contact the brand’s after-sales service so that they can tell you the details of the procedure.” Therefore, these are the vehicles affected by the Tataka brand:

• Audi A4

• Audi S4

• Audi A4 Cabriolet

• Audi S4 Cabriolet

• Audi RS4

• Audi RS4 Cabriolet

• Audi A6

• Audi S6

• Audi A6 Allroad Quattro

• Audi RS6

• Audi A5

• Audi Q5

• Audi Q5 Hybrid

• Audi SQ5 TDI

• Audi SQ5 TDI plus

• Audi TTS Coupe

• Audi TT Coupe

• Audi TTS Roadster

• Audi TT Roadster

• Audi TT RS Coupe

• Audi TT RS Roadster

• Audi R8 Coupe

• Audi R8 Spyder

• Skoda Citigo

• Skoda Roomster

• Skoda Fabia II

• Skoda Fabia III

• Skoda Rapid

• Skoda Yeti

• Skoda Kodiaq

• Skoda Octavia III

• Skoda Superb II

• Skoda Superb III

Finally, the OCU has recalled that it is essential that the owners of the affected vehicles go to the after-sales services to proceed with their replacement and thus guarantee the safety of the occupants of the vehicle.