ACCC recalls counterfeit Toyota brake pads, containing asbestos, imported from China

[Express]

ACCC recalls counterfeit Toyota brake pads, containing asbestos, imported from China


November 18, 2015



Safety first ... The ACCC has issued a recall on counterfeit brake pads from China that contain asbestos. Picture: Supplied


Joshua Dowling,News Corp Australia Network


EXCLUSIVE

AUSTRALIA’S top consumer watchdog has issued an unprecedented recall on counterfeit brake pads that contain asbestos.

The bogus brake pads — which are supplied in what appears to be genuine Toyota packaging and are designed to fit more than 500,000 HiLux utes and Hiace vans on Australian roads — were bought online by an independent workshop.

It is the first time a recall has been issued for a counterfeit car part.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will compel the supplier Westend Spares, based in the western Sydney suburb of St Marys, to contact all customers who bought the counterfeit parts and refund the cost to them.

The action comes after News Corp Australia revealed exclusively a fortnight ago that the asbestos parts had been imported illegally into the country.

The owner of Westend Spares, Andrew Gaal, said he was shocked to learn the brake pads he bought online from China were found to be counterfeit and contain asbestos.

Mr Gaal, who told News Corp Australia his father died from asbestos poisoning in 2008, said he took immediate action once he was notified about the dangerous parts.




Affected models ... The counterfeit brake pads are designed to fit the 2004 to 2015 Toyota HiLux ute and the Toyota van and commuter bus. Picture: Supplied.


Affected models ... The counterfeit brake pads are designed to fit the 2004 to 2015 Toyota HiLux ute and the Toyota van and commuter bus. Picture: Supplied.Source:Supplied

“This subject is close to my heart because my father passed away from asbestosis, so I got in contact with the people we sold them to straight away, (we’re) giving them a full refund and getting the pads back so they can be destroyed,” said Mr Gaal.

The independent mechanic said he sold the parts via the online auction site eBay after he bought them from a supplier in China.

“It’s made me more alert, it’s never going to happen again that’s for sure,” said Mr Gaal.

“I wasn’t aware they were counterfeit. They came in a Toyota box. I’ve lost sleep about this. It’s created stress between me and my wife. This could have been a lot worse on a bigger scale and I’m glad it didn’t.”

Mr Gaal says while he only sold 10 sets of counterfeit brake pads (from a batch of 40 sets), he believes a lot of other independent workshops are likely to have been caught out by the scam.

“A lot of smaller workshops buy stuff online like me … there is a strong possibility there are more (counterfeit brake pads with asbestos) out there,” he said.

Asbestos brake pads were banned from Australia in 2004 after the material was linked to lung cancer.

HiLux and Hiace vehicles serviced only by the Toyota dealer network are not at risk of having the bogus brake pads, but vehicles maintained by independent repairers may have been fitted with the counterfeit parts.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...a30498ff6f2a&=

[Trump]

I call shenanigans. Most of the cheaper pads contain asbestos, why haven't the relevant authorities stopped those from coming into the country...?

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

I call shenanigans. Most of the cheaper pads contain asbestos, why haven't the relevant authorities stopped those from coming into the country...?

Do they? I've always wondered how consumer spare part joints can sell brake pad sets for $18 - $30 dollars.

So much for supporting local

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by johnydep

Do they? I've always wondered how consumer spare part joints can sell brake pad sets for $18 - $30 dollars.

So much for supporting local

And the trouble is they work really well with Asbestos

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

I call shenanigans. Most of the cheaper pads contain asbestos, why haven't the relevant authorities stopped those from coming into the country...?

Local stuff stopped having asbestos in 2004 I believe.

[Grunter]

JD is missing his calling. He should be working for the National Inquirer.

[mr smith]

This is bigger than Toyota. Just remember if the price is too good there is usually a good reason.

[Silver Ghia]

So is Westend Spares the only supplier? Its owner alludes that there are other suppliers of these pads also.

And how readily will the purchasers remove them from the cars they were fitted to? I can see they wont be removed.

Import quality controls need to be made far more stringent. Non compliant fire resistant building cladding from China is another example that immediately springs to mind.

[XG_Falcon]

Ironically asbestos is the best product for the job (if you disregard the carcinogenic side of things).

[Express]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

Ironically asbestos is the best product for the job (if you disregard the carcinogenic side of things).

It stops you dead in your tracks.

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by Express

It stops you dead in your tracks.

After 20 years or so.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by Express

It stops you dead in your tracks.

Considering the millions of asbestos products used over the last 70+ years its not exactly like everyone is currently dropping dead.

[Express]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Considering the millions of asbestos products used over the last 70+ years its not exactly like everyone is currently dropping dead.

My comment was just a joke with no accuracy implied.

But if you wish to take a serious tone then be my guest, you can play Russian roulette with a substance that is highly risky where even handling it is regulated and I’ll do the smart thing and avoid it.

Evidence of Asbestos poisoning dates back to ancient Rome and modern man took it to a whole new level.

I don’t care how long it takes to kill as many adults have inhaled it as children and not seen 40.

The fact brake pads which contain Chrysotile the asbestos mineral which was common in products and building materials is banned in the European Union and Australia is a good enough reason for me to ditch those types of pads and I’d expect importers to toe the line and not sell me products which contain banned substances.

I wouldn’t want my children touching brake dust on my cars that has the potential to invite a slow and painful death.

Whether its fact or fiction doesn’t matter to me as the risk is not worth it.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Express

My comment was just a joke with no accuracy implied.

But if you wish to take a serious tone then be my guest, you can play Russian roulette with a substance that is highly risky where even handling it is regulated and I’ll do the smart thing and avoid it.

Evidence of Asbestos poisoning dates back to ancient Rome and modern man took it to a whole new level.

I don’t care how long it takes to kill as many adults have inhaled it as children and not seen 40.

The fact brake pads which contain Chrysotile the asbestos mineral which was common in products and building materials is banned in the European Union and Australia is a good enough reason for me to ditch those types of pads and I’d expect importers to toe the line and not sell me products which contain banned substances.

I wouldn’t want my children touching brake dust on my cars that has the potential to invite a slow and painful death.

Whether its fact or fiction doesn’t matter to me as the risk is not worth it.

Yep. Just ask any of the kids (now adults) that are still alive and grew up in Wittenoom

[99AUXR]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

Ironically asbestos is the best product for the job (if you disregard the carcinogenic side of things).

Depends on what you want for a pad. Some applications its okay others not so.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

Ironically asbestos is the best product for the job (if you disregard the carcinogenic side of things).

Wasn't there a batch of Cherry cars that were found to have Asbestos engine gaskets???

Ok, as for the danger of using them. I always thought that intact fibres that were expelled from structurally unsound material were most dangerous? (like the stuff that drifts off from snapping a bit of 50 year old fibro in half).

If these pads do indeed have asbestos, wouldn't any emitted material be nothing more than burnt ash? I mean, they are worn down by high speed friction that burns the pad down not grinds bits off??

What percentage of the pad is actual asbestos?

[XXX747]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Wasn't there a batch of Cherry cars that were found to have Asbestos engine gaskets???

Ok, as for the danger of using them. I always thought that intact fibres that were expelled from structurally unsound material were most dangerous? (like the stuff that drifts off from snapping a bit of 50 year old fibro in half).

If these pads do indeed have asbestos, wouldn't any emitted material be nothing more than burnt ash? I mean, they are worn down by high speed friction that burns the pad down not grinds bits off??

What percentage of the pad is actual asbestos?

Asbestos does not burn or degrade. When the fibre shear off the pad they float into the atmosphere and some are left on the calipers and inner wheels. There are plenty of mechanics who have asbestosis from changing brake pads over the years.

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by XXX747

Asbestos does not burn or degrade. When the fibre shear off the pad they float into the atmosphere and some are left on the calipers and inner wheels. There are plenty of mechanics who have asbestosis from changing brake pads over the years.

Millions of US shipyard workers and sailors also suffered asbestosis over the years. Asbestos is an ideal material for use in the shipbuilding industry. It was used to insulate boilers, incinerators, hot water pipes and steam pipes. During WW2 approximately 4.5 million men and women worked in shipyard occupations that could have potentially exposed them to asbestos. In 1943, 1 in 500 shipyard workers was an asbestos insulator.

Nobody knows how many people were afflicted. The US government received reports in the early 40's that detailed the significant health risks but they chose to ignore the warnings.

In many developing nations, Asbestos is still widely used and produced. Russia still loves it.

[Express]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

In many developing nations, Asbestos is still widely used and produced. Russia still loves it.

So does China and India, all countries known for their high degree of Occupational Health and Safety Standards.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by XXX747

Asbestos does not burn or degrade. When the fibre shear off the pad they float into the atmosphere and some are left on the calipers and inner wheels. There are plenty of mechanics who have asbestosis from changing brake pads over the years.

Thanks for clarifying.

I have a panel beating book packed away somewhere that describes a method of shrinking or stretching warped panels back into shape by applying heat then cooling with big clumps of wet asbestos applied by hand.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Wasn't there a batch of Cherry cars that were found to have Asbestos engine gaskets???

Ok, as for the danger of using them. I always thought that intact fibres that were expelled from structurally unsound material were most dangerous? (like the stuff that drifts off from snapping a bit of 50 year old fibro in half).

If these pads do indeed have asbestos, wouldn't any emitted material be nothing more than burnt ash? I mean, they are worn down by high speed friction that burns the pad down not grinds bits off??

What percentage of the pad is actual asbestos?

It was great wall.

[aussiblue]

The dangers of asbestos dust in brake pads has been known at least since 1970 when I first started working on cars. The sad part is that the CRC Brakleen I and others used to regularly use to deal with the asbestos brake pad dust (soak the pads with the CRC sprays and use it to clean the dust off any drums or discs) when changing pads at that time contained carbon tetrachloride , trichloroethene or tetrachloroethyene or something similar that was later found to cause liver and kidney cancer. And no carbon filter mask in those days. The formulae has since changed - some discussion here http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages...tml?1408150589

[aussiblue]

There is likely lot of clutches containing asbestos still in cars on the road given that clutches have relatively long lives compared to brake pads.


And I guess if we tested Oz workshops the findings would be similar to these:

http://www.asbestosnetwork.com/High-...echanics.shtml

Over a three month period, investigators from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer recovered high levels of asbestos dust from floors, work areas and tool bins in brake repair garages in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Richmond, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The study may be just one example of the many repair shops and garages that continue to pose health hazards to their employees and the public.

[aussiblue]

The spray can solvent approach is still approved in the US:

https://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib072606.html

The spray can/solvent system may be used when proper work practices are followed. At a minimum, the spray can/solvent system method must follow detailed written procedures including the following:
1.Wet the brake and clutch parts with the spray can/solvent before taking any other action.
2.Wipe the brake and clutch parts clean with a cloth.
3.Place contaminated cloth into an impermeable, properly labeled container, and then dispose of it as asbestos waste. Alternatively, the cloth can be laundered to prevent the release of asbestos fibers in excess of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air, expressed as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
4.Immediately clean any spilled solvent or dispersed asbestos with a cloth or HEPA vacuum.
5.Dry brushing during spray can/solvent system operations is prohibited.

The solvents typically used in brake and clutch work are hazardous chemicals, which requires the employer to comply with the Hazard Communication standard. If the solvents are flammable, appropriate precautions against fire and explosion must be taken.

But seemingly not here:https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/form...icle-workshops

[GASWAGON]

Gees its bad stuff that Asbestos.......Needs to be removed from every product available on the market.

[XG_Falcon]

The powers that be all knew the risks and dangers long before the symptoms began to show in the general populace. It really grinds my gears that big companies are still putting lives in peril by selling asbestos products.

Many things can kill - Blue asbestos destroys.

[XR Martin]

Canada still exports asbestos to India.


Oh, sure you can count the amount of lives asbestos has cost, but can you count the amount of lives that it has saved?

[Kingsley]

Every time I think of asbestos it reminds me of the former asbestos mining town of Wittenoom in WA. The state government has removed it from maps and the signs for the town are gone, power cut off. Had a population of 7000 during the mining boom with 2000 dying from cancer. It's population is about 6 today. Eerie place to visit.

[aussiblue]

And the US has its version of James Hardie - Federal Mogul

http://www.ewg.org/asbestos/federalmogul.php and http://www.asbestos.com/companies/fe...orporation.php

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by tempted

Any Melburnians old enough will remember the old Harris suburban trains... These were absolutely brimming with blue asbestos, it was used as insulation in the walls and ceilings.
They were taken out of service in the late 80's due to the health concerns and were disposed of by dumping them in quicksand.

I remember they rode very quiet and smoothly compared to the old red rattlers. And even the newer trains.

But asbestos behind the interior linings would have been quite safe unless disturbed. Bit different about the brakes on trains though, anywhere you went at railway stations etc and with trains braking, you smelt brake dust. I'm sure the dust would have contained asbestos.

Sad ending to the blue trains. I liked them.