A new helpline for the contentious Takata airbag recalls primarily affecting Mazda Demio cars will begin operations on Monday.

The number is 22 747100 and will be available starting 1pm.

Afterwards, it will be open to the public from 8am to 6pm during the week, and 8am to 3pm on weekends.

The number is exclusively for questions or information related to the Takata airbags.

When deployed, the Takata airbag sends shards of metal flying. The defective component has been blamed for the deaths of 24-year-old Kyriacos Oxinos in January 2023 and 19-year-old Styliani Giorgalli.

The Road Transport Department has posted on its website the affected car dealers and car makes. It provides links to the dealers’ websites, where owners can enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see whether their car has a Takata airbag. However, some of these websites do not have the VIN identification feature.

MPs on Thursday were to vote on new regulations governing the recall of car components, which would have set out what to do with the dangerous Takata airbags. Nonetheless, the matter was delayed after several revisions to the bill.