After nearly two years of telling you about cars being recalled because of shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags, it’s almost a refreshing change of pace to report on an airbag recall that has nothing to do with the auto parts maker. However, Toyota’s latest recall of 1.4 million vehicles bears a striking resemblance to the Takata problems.
Toyota said Wednesday that it would recall 1.4 million model year 2010 and 2012 Prius and Lexus vehicles worldwide that contain potentially malfunctioning airbags, the New York Times reports.
The recall concerns the inflator that causes the airbag to inflate in the event of a crash.
According to Toyota, who did not name the parts supplier for the airbags, the inflators may have a small crack in a weld that can cause the airbag to inflate unexpectedly, sending pieces of metal into the vehicle.
Like the Takata inflator issue, the risk of unexpected airbag deployment is highest in areas of high humidity. However, unlike the larger years-long recall, Toyota believes that the new issue is the result of a manufacturing error, not a design problem as with the Takata safety devices.
So far, the company is unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the problem.
In a separate action on Wednesday, Toyota announced the recall of 2.87 million vehicles worldwide over fuel tank issues. The campaign involves several vehicles, including model year 2006 to 2015 Prius and Corolla sedans.
Toyota says the issue is related to a fault with a mechanism in vehicles’ fuel tanks that releases evaporated fuel. Cracks in the mechanism can cause small amounts of fuel to leak when drivers fill up their gas tanks.
Toyota Recalls 1.4 Million Vehicles for Airbag Problem [The New York Times]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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