Toyota, Lexus Airbag Failures May Result from Defective Sensors

About 645,000 recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles may be equipped with airbags that fail to deploy in an accident, increasing the risk of serious and potentially life threatening injuries for occupants, according to recent warnings issued by the auto maker.

A Toyota and Lexus airbag recall was announce on January 31, indicating that an electrical issue that may cause the airbags to fail overtime, and prevent them from operating in the event of a crash.

The recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles may have defective airbag sensors, which are subject to wear problems that could prevent the sensor from triggering the airbag. The problem affects the inflators in the front and side airbags, on both the driver and passenger’s sides.

The affected airbag sensors have several layers of insulation, which may peel over time and create an open circuit that is exposed to the environment. If dust, debris, water or other outside elements interfere with the open circuit, the airbag sensors could trigger a warning light on the dashboard cluster and prevent them from deploying in a crash.

The recall impacts 15 different Toyota and Lexus models, which were manufactured between May 2015 and March 2016; including Toyota Prius, Alphard, Vellfire, Sienta, Noah, Voxy, Esquire, Probox, Succeed, Corolla, Highlander, Levin and Hilux models, as well as Lexus RX and NX models.

Toyota Motor Corporation will begin notifying owners of the defect and will provide instructions on how to schedule a free repair appointment at their local dealer. Dealers will be instructed to inspect the sensors and replace them with new ones if necessary.

Customers with additional questions or concerns involving the recall are encouraged to contact Toyota at 800-331-4331 or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987.