Toyota has just announced it is recalling an additional 1.7 million vehicles globally for potentially faulty Takata airbag inflators. The Takata airbag recall began in 2016 in what has been the largest recall event in history. Only last week, for example, Ford announced an additional recall of 953,000 vehicles, 780,000 of which are in the US.
A total of 37 million vehicles with 50 million inflators have been recalled in the US and 16.7 million inflators need to be replaced. Twenty-three deaths worldwide, 15 in the US, have been linked to these faulty inflators.
Toyota's latest recall affects vehicles from the 2010 to 2015 model years, 1.3 million of which are in the US. The inflator's problem involves the propellant in the front passenger airbag that can degrade over time. If this happens, the airbag could rupture and spray metal shards as it deploys. So if you own any of the following vehicles, either Toyota or Lexus will be contacting you later this month with instructions.
2010-2016 Toyota 4Runner
2010-2013 Corolla
2010-2013 Matrix
2011-2014 Sienna
2010-2015 Scion xB
2010-2012 Lexus ES350
2010-2017 GX460
2010-2015 IS
No Toyota or Lexus owners have, at least so far, been the victims of a faulty airbag inflator. The aforementioned 23 deaths involved 21 Hondas and two Fords. What's disturbing is that owners of vehicles from both brands have yet to respond to the recall.
For example, Ford issued a 'do not drive' order for a specific group of old Ranger pickup trucks. It has even offered its dealerships incentives as part of an effort to reach out to owners to have the necessary repairs done, free of charge of course. Takata itself has paid a huge price for its actions. It filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2017 and has since been acquired by another company as part of a $1.6 billion deal.