The Road Vehicle Standards legislation sets out the framework for the voluntary or compulsory recall of road vehicles and approved road vehicle components due to safety issues which may cause injury, or where non-compliances with the applicable national road vehicle standards, for example the Australian Design Rules, are identified.

Vehicles and their components must comply with standards to be used in Australia. If they do not comply, or there is an issue with their safety, the supplier of the vehicle or component should undertake a recall to either fix the issue or remove it from market.

The responsible regulator monitors the progress of vehicle and component recalls. They can also work with suppliers and other regulators to initiate recall action if they identify an unsafe or non-compliant vehicle or component in the market.

A voluntary recall is an action taken by vehicle and component suppliers to fix a safety or non-compliance issue with a road vehicle or approved component.

A compulsory recall occurs when the responsible Commonwealth Minister issues a compulsory recall notice to suppliers if it appears that they have not taken satisfactory action to prevent injury, or to rectify non-compliance with applicable standards.

All vehicle type approvals will be subject to the following specified conditions related to recall action of road vehicles:

• reporting recall action that you become aware of that is being undertaken outside of Australia to the Department, and
• reporting systemic safety or non-compliance issues to the Department.

Under the RVS legislation, the approval holder must advise the Department when they have identified a systemic safety or non-compliance issue. A recall notification must be submitted to the Department through the ROVER recall notification function.

More information about the legal requirements and the approval holder’s roles and responsibilities is on the Department’s manufacturer, distributor and supplier page, and in the Vehicle Recalls section of its website.

In accordance with Australian Consumer Law, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is responsible for some vehicle-related consumer products not covered by the RVS legislation, including quad bikes, golf carts and personal mobility devices. An RVMAP technical bulletin was issued to assist manufacturers and suppliers in assessing which components may be within the responsibility of road vehicle recalls and which will require ACCC involvement.

Recall rectification benchmarks

The implementation of recall rectification benchmarks, and communication of these to suppliers when a recall is submitted, promotes a shared understanding of the Department’s expectations regarding recall performance. The application of benchmarks to all new recalls enables a consistent approach to the Department’s recall monitoring activities.

The Department will conduct a risk assessment to establish the priority of individual recalls and advise suppliers of the rectification benchmark applicable to those recalls. There may be instances where a supplier is unable to commence recall rectification activity immediately due to parts availability or other issues. In these cases, the Department will consider the circumstances on an individual basis.

The recall rectification benchmarks are included in the Recalls Policy and apply to all new recalls notified to the Department from 1 September 2023.

The Department has published a frequently asked questions document answering the most commonly asked questions about conducting a recall, such as who in your organisation can submit a recall, what documents you need to provide, and how to add additional vehicles to a recall.

For questions or assistance, see the Department’s contact us page.