Toyota’s Lexus and other vehicle recall of roughly 1 million cars in the U.S. because the front passenger airbag may not deploy properly in a crash, posing additional risk of injury to riders, the car maker said on Wednesday. The latest Toyota’s Lexus recall, is due to a potential defect in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat of affected vehicles could cause a short circuit, Toyota said in a notice posted on its website.
As a result, of the faulty airbag sensor, the air bag system may not properly detect the passenger’s presence and weight, and fail to deploy as designed.
Latest Toyota recall
The recall will affect the following 2020-2022 Toyota and Lexus models:
Toyota airbag recall
Model: Avalon, Avalon Hybrid Year: 2020-2021
Model: Camry, Camry Hybrid Year: 2020-2021
Model: Corolla Year: 2020-2021
Model: Highlander, Highlander Hybrid Year: 2020-2021
Model: RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid Year: 2020-2021
Model: Sienna Hybrid Year: 2021
Toyota’s Lexus airbag recall
Model: ES250 Year: 2021
Model: ES300H Year: 2020-2022
Model: ES350 Year: 2020-2021
Model: RX350 Year: 2020-2021
Model: RX450H Year: 2020-2021
Toyota on recalling due to airbag issue
The company previously inspected these vehicles under a previous recall but had an issue with the inspection process.
“The inspection may not have identified certain vehicles requiring the remedy. Without the remedy, the front passenger airbag may not deploy as designed due to a manufacturing error in the instrument panel where the airbag is located,” the brand announced.
Fix for Toyota’s airbag issue
As a remedy, for the Toyota and Lexus airbag issue dealers will inspect affected vehicles for free and replace faulty airbag sensor if necessary at no cost to vehicle owners, the recall notice states. Toyota said it will notify owners of all vehicles involved in the recall by the middle of February 2024.
Toyota’s earlier recall
It is Toyota’s third major recall in recent months. In November, the company recalled 1.9 million RAV4 sport utility vehicles in the U.S. because the batteries can shift during sharp turns and potentially cause a fire.
Toyota on October 26 also recalled roughly 751,000 Toyota Highlander SUVs in the U.S. to fix a problem with the tabs that secure the vehicles’ front lower bumper covers. Even a minor crash could cause the bumper cover assembly to fall off, a potential hazard to drivers, the company said.
Impact of Toyota’s Lexus airbag recall
There has been quite a few recalls by Toyota and it’s impact will go beyond its financial implications. The company’s carefully crafted brand image and reputation for quality is severely tarnished. The recall served as a reminder that even established brands like Toyota are susceptible to quality issues. Toyota faces the daunting task of regaining the public’s trust and restoring its brand image, which requires significant investments of time, effort, and resources.
Other automaker recalls
There has been substantial recalls by General Motors (GM), Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Hyundai. They all have vehicles with the ARC Automotive inflators, contributing to concerns across the automotive industry. ARC Automotive has resisted the NHTSA’s recall request, leading to a scheduled hearing to determine the necessity of a comprehensive recall. The NHTSA is urging for a wide-scale recall to address the risk posed by these air-bag inflators.
Analysis on Toyota recalling due to airbag issue
Toyota encountered major challenges with its quality control processes and company culture. Nevertheless, by giving emphasis to safety and quality, taking a more collaborative and transparent approach towards decision-making, and establishing a robust quality control mechanism, Toyota can recover its standing for being dependable and reliable, and ultimately enhance its financial performance.
