“If you own a Hilux manufactured between 2011-2016, your airbags have a factory defect and need to be replaced immediately. If your vehicle identification number is listed on the media advert, call 0800211033 to book your free airbag replacement at our Namanve, Kampala, Mbale or Gulu branches” read the issued advert from Toyota CFAO.
Importance Of Airbags In A Vehicle.
Airbags help to save lives in case of accidents by increasing cushioning around the neck, head and spine thereby decreasing the amount of force impacting on the victims head the airbag limits the distance the victim can fling forward thus decreasing the risk that the victim may thrust through the windscreen or when they are ejected from the vehicle.
This isn’t the first time that Toyota Uganda is recalling vehicles from customers because of some defects. in 2014, Toyota Uganda, recalled 5 vehicles because they had airbag defects.
In 2019 in Nort America and Japan, the same company recalled 191,000 vehicles whose airbags couldn’t inflate because of defects. The director of Traffic and Road Safety in Uganda police underscored the importance of airbags in a vehicle. “Airbags are important safety devices” Lawrence Nuwabiine emphasised.
According to experts, there is complexity in manufacturing and testing airbags, they say an airbag is a complex device composed of many technologies and chemicals wrapped into a tiny little package, which in a couple of seconds or less, can go through a violent change to metamorphose into a life saver.
Unlike many other parts of a car, a manufacturer cannot perfect world loophole free airbag during assembly. This is because when it is tested for efficacy, it cannot be be reassembled. Like many products in this world, risk avoidance, sampling and process verification, may allow for inference not a guarantee of quality. In some cases, accident data would lead investigators to the conclusion to recall the product from the market due to poor quality.