Toyota to recall 3.4 million vehicles over airbag issue

Leading Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota has announced the recall of 3.4 million cars globally because of an issue with their airbags. The recall includes 2.9 million cars in the US which cover the 2012-2018 Avalon, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2011-2019 Corolla, and the 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles.  

Reuters reported that the fault was in the electronic control unit of the airbag which may not offer enough protection from critical noises that usually occur during a crash. It may lead to an incomplete or total non-deployment of the airbags if there is a collision. The improper shielding, Reuters said, may also impede the seatbelt pre-tensioner operations. 

However, Toyota cars sold in Singapore have not been affected by the recall, a distributor told the media.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in April, probed into 12.3 million vehicles for potentially faulty airbags. The probe covered several carmakers and included all the Toyota vehicles that are being recalled. That aside, NHTA had identified two incidents of the frontal crash. These included a fatal crash involving a Toyota car which was probably caused by electrical overstress leading to non-deployment of airbags. Both incidents involved Toyota Corolla cars.

According to NHTSA, the investigated airbags that were installed in over 12 million automobiles manufactured from 2010 to 2019. The cars were sold by Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi and Hyundai. All these cars had airbag control units manufactured by Livonia-headquartered TRW Automotive Holdings. 

Fiat Chrysler, Kia, and Hyundai had previously recalled over 2.5 million cars with the TRW-made airbag control units that may not deploy in case of a crash. Fiat Chrysler had stated that reports of five injuries and three deaths may have been caused due to the non-deployment of the airbags in 2016. Kia and Hyundai recalled more than a million cars over the airbag issue in 2018.

Toyota will now install a noise filtration system between the wire harness and the airbag control unit if defects are found in this regard. The company, however, has not revealed the number of deaths or injuries associated with the airbag defect. Toyota will contact vehicle owners for the recall in March.   

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