Automotive brands are collaborating on a scale never before seen in Australia, working together with the ACCC to locate and replace potentially deadly Takata airbags in millions of cars around the country.

New data provided by brands shows the states most affected by the ongoing faulty airbag inflator scandal, which has so far seen more than 125 million vehicles recalled around the world.

In Australia, the number of airbags replaced in the past 12 months is now over 1.1 million, but some 1.8 million are still to be seen.

The greatest number of airbags needing replacement, according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), is in New South Wales, at 505,780.

Of those, a frightening 5174 are known to be the more dangerous 'Alpha' unit, which have been prioritised ahead of others for immediate replacement.

Victoria follows, with 452,889 faulty airbags still to be replaced, including 4532 Alpha units.

Queensland is not far behind, with 328,673 airbags waiting on replacement, including 2505 of the Alpha type.  

In order, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory are the next worst affected.

Nearly 20,000 Takata 'Alpha' airbag units still need replacing.

Worryingly, some 145,261 faulty airbags are still to be located, with manufacturers working to determine whether they are still on the road at all.

To help locate and identify affected cars, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) earlier this week launched a new website, IsMyAirbagSafe.com.au, that will allow owners to discover if their vehicle has been recalled.

Concerned motorists can also text ‘Takata’ to 0487 AIRBAG (0487 247 224) for more advice about getting their car checked out.

Additional data released by the ACCC shows the progress made by affected brands in rectifying affected vehicles.

Honda and Toyota are among the worst affected but also the most advanced in resolving the issue, having initiated voluntary recalls well before the Australian government's action a year ago to make the recall program mandatory.

Honda says it has so far replaced 607,621 airbag inflators, for a completion rate of 91.1 per cent. The brand says there are 41,461 Honda vehicles still outstanding.

As of 1 July 2018, more brands have initiated recalls under mandatory recall, the ACCC-supplied chart below showing their progress.

This month marks one year since the ACCC began its investigation into the Takata issue, although voluntary recalls have now been underway for some years both in Australia and elsewhere in the world.

Manufacturers that fail to comply with the ACCC's actions face penalties of up to $1.1 million, and a team of 14 people is working "virtually night and day" to monitor the progress and work of the brands affected.

For now, brands are approved to replace the faulty airbag inflators with 'like for like' units, due to the fact that supply of new-design airbag inflators is still restricted.

The ACCC has confirmed that brand-new Takata units have a safe lifespan of about six years, meaning vehicles that have had 'fresh' units of the same faulty design installed as part of the current program will need to be recalled again in the future, before they become dangerous once more.

By 31 December 2019, manufacturers must have sourced safe, new-design inflators that will not need to be replaced again.

To avoid stiff penalties, all brands must have completed the entire recall program by 31 December 2020.

Motorists warned not to become complacent

The ACCC is urging Australian motorists not to be complacent on this issue.

“Don’t ignore or delay responding to a letter or call from your car’s manufacturer asking you to have your airbag replaced. The airbags degrade over time and can become lethal by misdeploying and firing metal shards at the car’s occupants,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“Our greatest concern remains around the alpha airbags, which can still be found in almost 20,000 cars.

"Make no mistake, these airbags can kill and our advice is for consumers to check our website to see if there car is affected by this recall. If your car contains an alpha airbag, it should not be driven.”

Brought to you by CarAdvice.com.au

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2018