Toyota, Honda and Mazda to be sued in Australia over airbags

Sydney - A Sydney lawyer has announced a class action lawsuit against Toyota, Honda and Mazda seeking refunds for cars fitted with faulty airbags from Takata linked to 18 deaths around the world.

Lawyer Damian Scattini said on Tuesday the Federal Court action seeks refunds based on an Australian consumer law that entitles consumers to refunds if a product has a fault that makes it unsafe and the problem cannot be rectified within a reasonable time.

Toyota's Australian subsidiary said in a statement that it has a process in place and that fixing affected vehicles remains a matter of urgency.

Honda and Mazda did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this month, an unidentified 58-year-old Australian man likely became the 18th death worldwide due to exploding Takata airbag inflators.