Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades has not ruled out an extension to the deadline for replacing defective Takata airbags. The deadline is set for October 2, but about 35,000 vehicles are still subject to recalls.

Speaking to Alpha TV during the launch of the walking bus programme in Aglantzia, Vafeades said the ministry is considering all options. He explained that drivers fall into two groups: those who are reluctant to proceed with the recall and those waiting for official notice from distributors to replace their airbags.

“It is a difficult decision because, on one hand, there is reluctance to implement the recall, and on the other hand, there is willingness but no immediate possibility,” the minister said.

He added that the government is seeking a balance between these challenges and promised that any decision on a possible extension would be announced in good time.

The issue of airbags stems from the production of faulty airbags by Japanese company Takata. The company’s airbags suffer a fault related to exposure to high levels of heat or humidity, which means they have a tendency to explode when released under such circumstances.

This explosion shoots the airbag’s metal inflator outwards and in the direction of the person it was designed to protect, potentially causing further injuries or, in some cases, death.

Faulty airbags have caused two deaths in Cyprus, those of Styliani Giorgalli last year and Kyriakos Oxinos in 2023, while Alexandros Lougos has so far undergone 21 surgeries to restore his face after being involved in an accident in 2017.

The parents of both Kyriakos Oxinos and Styliani Giorgalli have lashed out at Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades after the report was published, accusing him of stalling and indifference.

The report documenting the findings of the committee formed to investigate the history of faulty airbags in Cyprus and their import into the country recommended that criminal charges be brought against three people.

It also recommended that disciplinary charges be brought against five others.

Attorney-General George Savvides took receipt of the report on July 11, with the committee’s chairman, former Supreme Court judge Michalakis Christodoulou outlining the reasons behind his recommending of criminal charges.

Those charges relate to the cases involving Alexandros Lougos, Styliani Giorgalli and Kyriakos Oxinos.

On July 22, Vafeades said half of the cars on Cyprus’ roads have been imported secondhand and, despite efforts to move forward with the replacement of faulty Takata airbags following deaths and injuries, “we are back at square one”.

“We are at the same point as we were in 2017,” Vafeades said, reminding that the inquiry into the history of recalls found him not at fault, on the contrary in its report it stated that the minister had made “agonising and painstaking efforts to manage the situation he inherited”.

For more information and to check if your vehicle is affected, visit the official government portal: https://www.gov.cy/mtcw/airbag-recalls/