About 15,000 cars in Cyprus may be taken off the road due to Takata airbags from October 3

Cyprus Transport Minister Alexis Vafeadis stated that around 15,000 cars may be recalled on October 3 due to delayed replacement of Takata airbags.

According to the minister, dealers are working intensively, but it is not possible to handle all service calls; two car brands have not provided the required service records. There are cases where spare parts for older cars are unavailable due to discontinued production, and in such situations, decisions on further actions are needed. There are also cases where owners have not completed the recall procedures.

Vafeadis stated that he does not have data on cases where owners could not pay fees charged by the two companies. He explained that after the removal of the roadworthiness certificate (MOT), the driving permit is canceled, and the car cannot be used, but the ministry is developing options for managing the situation and possible solutions.

When assessing the scale of the problem, the minister indicated that there are about 300,000 so-called "grey" cars in Cyprus.