A mother of two from Blackwood, Bethan Smith, has voiced her distress after discovering that the car she purchased from Trade Centre Wales in Abercynon four years ago had defective airbags.
The discovery was made during a diagnostics check when she noticed her car was underpowered. The check revealed that the car had been involved in a crash, its airbags were non-functional, and the dashboard warning lights had been tampered with.
Ms Smith, whose children are aged four and ten months, believes the fault was present at the time of sale in 2020. She also recalled questioning the paintwork at the time, which she now suspects was due to crash repairs. She has accused the dealership of either knowing about the fault or failing to conduct a proper inspection.
Jac Bowen, marketing director for Trade Centre Wales, stated that the car had been subject to a manufacturer recall and a pre-delivery inspection prior to its sale to Ms Smith, with no fault codes reported. He suggested that it would be “reasonable to assume that the airbag fault has developed recently” given the four years of ownership and approximately 18,000 miles driven since the purchase.
However, the dealership has offered a resolution, asking Ms Smith to provide an independent engineer’s report. If the report confirms the fault was present at the point of sale, Trade Centre Wales has offered to cover the repair costs.
Ms Smith, who is currently without a car, has described the experience as “extremely emotional” and has stated she will not be buying from the dealership again.
Source: South Wales Argus
RICHARD BAKER
HOW HAS IT PASSED M.O.T.s WITH DEFECTIVE AIRBAG LIGHT IN DASHBOARD ???!!!.
Steve Shinnick
Richard raises a valid concern, and a resolution has been offered.
Eddie Bamber
The airbag light should come on with the ignition and then go off after a few seconds. If it doesn’t illuminate with the ignition, it’s a pass and advise.