Calls are growing for a mandatory recall of faulty Takata airbags.

Around 180,000 New Zealand vehicles still need to have faulty airbags replaced, despite a recall notice.

Takata airbags can potentially spray shrapnel when deployed and have been linked to more than 20 deaths worldwide.

Consumer NZ head of testing Paul Smith says he's waiting to see how the Government responds to the issue.

"We certainly are not ruling out that we should follow a mandatory recall. We've still barely got a quarter of the affected vehicles on our roads, with the fixes completed."

Smith says it's disappointing, but he hopes more people will now act due to the heightened focus on the problem.

"There is no reason why consumers shouldn't go in and get this fixed, it is no cost to them."

The Motor Vehicle Association says Alpha-type Takata airbags are the most dangerous and should be recalled mandatorily.