Various problems have been identified in the vehicle recall process, including delays in notifying drivers and a shortage of spare parts, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Tuesday.

“The responsibility for the recalls lies with the distributors and car importers, while the road transport department (TOM) is responsible for monitoring them,” the minister said.

Vafeades, who was speaking after a House commerce committee meeting, said recalls had been on the state agenda since 2010, when the regulations of an EU directive were adopted.

The minister’s statements came after previous discussions at the same committee focused on the number of cars on the roads that still have the airbags despite their recalls and links to road deaths.

Takata airbags gained notoriety in Cyprus after the death of 24-year-old Kyriacos Oxinos in January 2023. Police said his death in a traffic accident may have been the result of a faulty Takata airbag, which when released sends shards of metal flying.

In addition, a similar incident is thought to have caused the death of 19-year-old Styliani Giorgalli earlier this year, while another young man has reportedly had to undergo several surgeries due to the airbag exploding.

The minister said authorities have identified that the lack of public awareness has to do largely with cars imported from non-EU countries. He referred to these vehicles as “grey cars”.

These account for approximately 60 per cent of vehicle registrations.

“For 60 per cent of registrations, the information chain is broken,” Vafeades said. “For these cars, the problem is far more serious, and there needs to be a different approach.”

However some MPs appeared unconvinced. Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, chair of the commerce committee, went so far as to liken the airbags situation to the July 2011 explosion at Mari naval base.

The MP said the minister should resign over the airbags affair.

Greens MP Stavros Papadouris said the issue concerns some 12,000 vehicles tracked via the Rapex system, plus an estimated 18,000 second-hand imports.

Speaking at the committee session was a member of the public recounting his experience. He said that when he discovered his car had a Takata airbag, he visited the Mitsubishi dealership to get a replacement. According to the man, the dealership told him to “go away” and “contact Japan”.

In 2011, it was agreed that distributors would collect the details of car owners and in 2017 a detailed procedure was adopted.

In 2022, when it was determined that car owners were failing to respond to recalls, it was decided that those owners would face restrictions and in July 2023 a link for Rapex was added to TOM’s website so that owners could follow recalls.

TOM found that it took too long for owners to be notified of recalls, it was difficult to collect information when cars were imported from third countries and there was a shortage of spare parts to meet all recall needs.

To solve the problem, TOM requested importers post recall links on their websites, while lists of cars have been sent to importers to determine whether recalls were pending. TOM also said it would message owners about recalls, while owners would be requested to update their details during technical checks, and more information would be disseminated to raise awareness among owners.

TOM is also looking into amending legislation obliging distributors to certify that no recalls are pending, that certification be presented during each technical check and that the MOT certification be withdrawn whenever recalls are pending.

The minister said these actions would improve information reaching the public and would mandate the completion of dangerous recalls within a set timeframe.

He added that some practical problems would have to be dealt with as they arise, such as obtaining information from manufacturers in third countries.

If information was not readily available from the manufacturers, then the responsibility would lie with the vehicle owners, who would need to periodically check online for possible recalls.

Vafeades said TOM would also need to examine importing cars on condition that there was a solid recall alert system and/or inform the owners of the dangers they faced if they did not check for recalls.