Lawyers say the magnitude of the safety defect at the centre of the Takata airbags saga is unprecedented as they prepare to launch a class action lawsuit in Australia.
The airbags have been linked to 18 deaths worldwide after NSW Police revealed suspicions they also contributed to the death of a 58-year-old man whose car crashed in Sydney last week.
If confirmed, it would be the first fatal incident caused by Takata devices in Australia.
Read more:
NSW death linked to recalled airbags
Toyota, Honda and Mazda are now among car manufacturers in the crosshairs for a class action by law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan.
"I'm not aware of a safety defect of this sort or this magnitude for so many consumers," partner Damian Scattini told AAP.
"Everybody in the country will have a friend or family member with one of these cars.
"It's really quite alarming."
Lawyers argue car companies failed to urgently remedy the defects and therefore motorists are entitled to a refund for the vehicles under Australian Consumer Law.
The federal government this week wrote to all car manufacturers demanding updates on a voluntary recall following revelations some were replacing Takata airbags with the same brand of device.
The airbags use ammonium nitrate to trigger inflation, but the chemical can deteriorate over time and cause a metal canister to explode too forcefully, projecting shrapnel.
Mr Scattini said the company used the cheapest propellant it could, while car companies bought the cheapest airbags available.
"The consequences are unfolding," he said.
The firm has been investigating the matter for some time and was surprised the serious injury of a young Darwin driver from a faulty airbag in April didn't trigger an urgent response.
"My only regret is that we weren't able to do this six months earlier before these two people were hurt," Mr Scattini said.
More than 2.3 million vehicles in Australia were subject to the original 2009 recall, but only 850,000 have had their Takata airbags replaced.
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