Toyota announced the recall of 1.7 million North American vehicles on Wednesday, a part of the ongoing recall involving potentially deadly Takata front passenger airbag inflators.
The Takata airbag recall has affected virtually all major automakers. The airbags were made with the chemical ammonium nitrate and were prone to exploding upon deployment, potentially hurling fiery shrapnel into passengers. At least 23 people worldwide have died in incidents blamed on the defective devices.
The latest recall affects certain Toyota and Lexus models, including 1.3 million in the U.S. Among the impacted Toyota models:
4Runner (2010 through 2016)
Corolla (2010 through 2013)
Matrix (2010 through 2013)
Sienna (2011 through 2014)
Impacted Lexus models include:
ES 350 (2010 through 2012)
GX 460 (2010 through 2017)
IS 250C (2010 through 2015)
IS 350C (2010 through 2015)
IS 250 (2010 through 2013)
IS 350 (2010 through 2013)
IS-F (2010 through 2014)
Also included: the Scion XB (2010 through 2015).
Owners can check to see if their vehicles have been recalled by going to Toyota’s website. They will also receive a mailed notification, starting in late January, a Toyota release says.
This week, the Ford Motor Co. issued a recall of nearly 1 million vehicles in North America in connection with the Takata airbag recall.
The most vulnerable vehicles were fixed first, but safety advocates say more vehicles should have already been repaired, given the danger associated with the inflators.
Read more at usatoday.com.
