In the ongoing saga of the Takata airbag recall, one of the largest recalls in United States history, Toyota is recalling another 1.7 million vehicles for issues with air bag inflators, according to Reuters.
In this latest recall, Toyota is recalling 1.7 million vehicles worldwide, with 1.3 million U.S. vehicles being recalled, including cars from model years 2010 through 2015. Several Lexus and Scion models are being recalled along with vehicles including the Toyota 4Runner (model years 2010 to 2016), Corolla and Matrix (model years 2010 to 2013), and Sienna (model years 2011 to 2014).
Toyota and Lexus issued another major recall right before the holidays, also due to issues with airbag inflators.
Worldwide, tens of millions of vehicles with Takata airbags installed are facing recall because of an increased chance the bags will explode and send potentially deadly shrapnel flying through the car. The defect in the bag inflators means that prolonged exposure to high heat and humidity can cause the airbags to explode when deployed. At least 23 deaths have been linked to exploding Takata airbags so far, including 15 deaths in the U.S.
Ford also recently announced plans to recall nearly 1 million vehicles due to those same faulty airbag inflators. Honda and Acura issued major airbag-related recalls in 2018 as well, as did Ford and General Motors, among others. (TM) Toyota previously issued recalls on millions of vehicles worldwide. In total, 37 million vehicles have been recalled just in the U.S., with over 50 million airbag inflators recalled.
In 2018, as a result of the ongoing recalls, Takata filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the U.S.