Toyota Motor Co. announced on Wednesday that it is recalling about 1 million vehicles in North America due to a potential airbag problem that could increase the risk of injury in a crash. The recall affects several models of Toyota and Lexus vehicles from 2020 to 2022.
The problem is related to the sensors that detect the presence and weight of the front passenger. These sensors are connected to the airbag system and determine whether the front passenger airbag should deploy or not in a crash. However, some of these sensors may have been improperly manufactured and could malfunction over time. This could cause the front passenger airbag to not deploy properly or at all, even if the seat is occupied by an adult. This could result in serious or fatal injuries to the front passenger in the event of a collision.
Which vehicles are affected?
The recall covers the following models of Toyota and Lexus vehicles:
- 2020-2022 Toyota Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, and Sienna.
- 2020-2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback and C-HR.
- 2021-2022 Lexus ES 300h, ES 350, IS 300, IS 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, LS 500h, NX 300, NX 300h, RC 300, RC 350, RX 350, RX 450h, and UX 250h.
- 2020 Lexus ES 300h, ES 350, GS 350, GS F, GX 460, IS 300, IS 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, LS 500h, LX 570, NX 300, NX 300h, RC 300, RC 350, RX 350, RX 450h, and UX 250h.
According to Toyota, the affected vehicles were produced between October 2019 and October 2021. The recall involves about 978,000 vehicles in the U.S. and about 22,000 vehicles in Canada.
What should owners do?
Toyota said it will notify the owners of the affected vehicles by mail in late January 2022. Owners will be instructed to bring their vehicles to a Toyota or Lexus dealer, where the sensors will be inspected and replaced as necessary, free of charge. The repair is expected to take about one hour, depending on the dealer’s schedule.
Owners can also check if their vehicles are involved in the recall by visiting the Toyota recall website or the Lexus recall website and entering their vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate number. They can also call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987 for more information.
Is this the first time Toyota has recalled vehicles for airbag issues?
No, this is not the first time Toyota has recalled vehicles for airbag issues. In fact, Toyota has been involved in several recalls related to the infamous Takata airbag scandal, which affected millions of vehicles from various automakers worldwide. The Takata airbags were found to have defective inflators that could explode and spray metal fragments into the vehicle’s cabin, causing injuries or deaths to the occupants. Toyota has recalled more than 20 million vehicles in the U.S. alone for the Takata airbag problem since 2013.
However, Toyota said the current recall is not related to the Takata airbag issue and involves a different supplier and a different type of airbag. Toyota also said it is not aware of any accidents, injuries, or deaths caused by the sensor defect.