Toyota Recalls 3.4 Million Vehicles, Claiming Faulty Airbag Deployment

Laguna Hills, Calif. – January 21, 2020 – Toyota is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles that may be installed with a faulty airbag installation.

The estimated total of affected vehicles is 3.4 million.

The Defect

Toyota is recalling 3.4 million vehicles worldwide (estimated 2.9 million affected U.S. vehicles) claiming that they were installed with an electronic defect causing the air bags not to deploy during a crash. The electronic control defect in the affected vehicles are not equipped with requisite protection against electrical noise during a vehicle crash – this can lead to an improper deployment of the airbag and impeded use and operation of seat-belt pretensioners. The electrical over-stress in certain Toyota vehicles is estimated to have caused one fatal crashes according to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

The faulty airbag control units were originally installed by TRW Automotive Holdings Corp and are estimated to be installed in 12.3 million Toyota, Fiat, Chrysler, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi automobiles. NHTSA claims that eight deaths could be caused by the over-stress of the installed airbag control units. 

The Solution

Toyota has claimed that the solution to the issue would be to install a noise filter between the airbag control unit and the wire harness. If vehicle owners suspect that their specific vehicle is affected, they are advised to bring their vehicle into an authorized Toyota dealership for service or call Toyota customer service at 800-331-4331.

For more information on this and other recalls, visit www.motorsafety.org.

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Marshall EarleyToyota Recalls 3.4 Million Vehicles, Claiming Faulty Airbag Deployment