Published
This safety alert was updated on 2 July 2021 to reflect the publication of road vehicle recalls on the Vehicle Recalls website from 1 July.
As of 1 July 2021, road vehicle recalls are published by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (the department) on the Vehicle Recalls website, www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au.
Road safety reforms
On 1 July 2021, the new Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVS) replaced the existing Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989.
The RVS reforms cover voluntary and compulsory recalls of road vehicles and approved road vehicle components.
Suppliers who voluntarily recall road vehicles (e.g. cars, caravans, motor bikes, commercial vehicles, campers, trailers) or approved road vehicle components are now required to notify the department. A recall notice will be published on the department’s Vehicle recalls website.
These recalls will no longer be published by the ACCC. Vehicle recalls (where the department is the responsible regulator) have moved from the Product Safety Australia website to the department’s Vehicle Recalls website.
Recalls remaining on the Product Safety Australia website
The following types of recalls remain on the Product Safety Australia website:
- vehicles that are not road vehicles but are classified as consumer goods (e.g. golf cart, miniature motor bike, motorised mobility device, quad bike)
- vehicle accessories (i.e. after-market parts that are not intended to be integrated into the road vehicle), that are consumer goods (e.g. child car restraint, portable ramp, recovery strap, bike carrier)
- caravans and campers where the safety issue is not related to the vehicle itself but with human occupation (e.g. fridge, stove in caravan).
The ACCC also continues to administer:
- the compulsory Takata airbag recall
- recalls of vehicle parts that are consumer goods unless covered by a road vehicle or approved road vehicle component recall (e.g. battery or tyre supplied by an auto parts retailer).
For suppliers: submitting road vehicle recalls
As of 1 July 2021, suppliers must submit recalls for road vehicles and approved road vehicle components using the department’s Road Vehicle Regulator (ROVER) system within two days of taking recall action.
For consumers: searching for a road vehicle recall
Consumers can now access new road vehicle recall notices from the department’s recalls site, www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au.
Past recalls have been moved to the department’s recalls website.
Memorandum of understanding
The ACCC and the department have signed a memorandum of understanding to apply from 1 July 2021, in relation to their roles.
For more information, see the Transport section on the Who regulates what page of the Product Safety Australia website.
Subscribe to email updates on recalls
Sign up to receive email alerts on vehicle and component recalls from the department.