The Federal Courtroom of Australia has ordered Mercedes-Benz to pay a A$12.5 million ($8.49 million) wonderful for failing to speak to clients the urgency in recalling its “probably lethal” airbags, the nation’s competitors regulator stated.

The Australian Competitors & Shopper Fee (ACCC) stated in a press release that the automaker admitted it had breached the nation’s shopper legislation by failing to obviously talk with clients the urgency of the recall, as required by the Takata Recall Discover of the nation’s freeway visitors security physique.

“We consider the statements made by Mercedes-Benz workers had the potential to offer the impression to shoppers that the airbag alternative was much less pressing than was warranted by the actual dangers posed by the defective airbags,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard stated.

In conversations with 27 shoppers, Mercedes workers described the recall as a “precaution,” or implied that the kind of airbags utilized in Mercedes automobiles had not brought on any accidents, accidents or accidents, when that was not correct, the ACCC stated.

The regulator calls the airbags – manufactured by Japan’s Takata – “a probably lethal subject.”

“It was very important for the protection of Australian drivers and passengers that producers took the dangers significantly, and clearly communicated the dangers to shoppers.”

Mercedes didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.