Toyota Recall Issued Due to Airbag, Electrical Problems

Toyota is recalling about 700,000 vehicles, including Tacoma trucks, Camry and Venza vehicles, due to problems with the air bag and electrical systems. 

The bulk of vehicles affected by the Toyota recall include nearly 500,000 model year 2005 to 2009 Tacoma pick-up trucks. According to the company’s press release, the trucks need to have the steering wheel spiral cable assembly replaced because it could be interfering with the air bags.

Toyota is also recalling nearly 200,000 model year 2009 Camry vehicles and model year 2009-2011 Venza vehicles due to a potential problem with the stop lamp switch. No known injuries or accidents have been reported in connection with the problems, Toyota claims.

The design of the Tacoma chassis and the steering wheel spiral cable assembly can cause friction to occur in some vehicles. This friction can lead to a loss of connectivity to the driver’s air bag, which may cause the air bag warning light to activate and the air bag could be deactivated, meaning that it would not deploy in the event of an accident.

Toyota reports that it is in the process of obtaining the necessary parts to replace the steering wheel spiral cable assembly. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by first class mail in early April. That letter is likely to be an interim notification and the owners will again be notified when the parts are actually available, at which point they can take their vehicle to a Toyota dealer and have the replacement done, which is estimated to take about 30 minutes.

Regarding the stop lamp switch recall, which impacts Camry and Venza vehicles, Toyota says that during installation of the contact-type stop lamp switch, silicon grease may have invaded the switch, which could cause an increase in electrical resistance. In lamps where this has occurred, warning lamps on the instrument panel may light up, the vehicle may not start, the stop lamps may not work, and drivers may not be able to switch the shift lever out of the “Park” setting.

Toyota is also in the process of acquiring parts for this recall as well. When the parts are obtained, affected owners will be notified by first class mail. They will then be able to make an appointment with a Toyota dealer who will conduct the repairs free of charge.

Consumers with questions can visit the company’s website at www.toyota.com/recall or call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at (800) 331-4331.

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