Toyota Canada is recalling more than 100,000 vehicles due to faulty sensors that could cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy.
The company, which is also recalling more than one million vehicles in the U.S., issued two recall notices for Canada. The first affects 99,965 Toyota and Lexus vehicles with 2020 to 2022 model years. The second impacts 3,812 Toyota Corolla Cross vehicles from the 2022 and 2023 model years.
“The subject vehicles have Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat that could have been improperly manufactured, causing a short circuit,” the company said in a Dec. 20 press release about the first recall. “This would not allow the airbag system to properly classify the occupant’s weight, and the airbag may not deploy as designed in certain crashes, increasing the risk of injury.”
Toyota vehicles impacted by the first recall include the Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, and Sienna Hybrid. Lexus models being recalled are the ES250, ES300H, ES350, RX350, and RX450h.Second Recall
In a separate announcement on Dec. 20, Toyota said Corolla Cross vehicles are being recalled due to a manufacturing error in the instrument panel that affects the front passenger airbag. Although these vehicles have already been inspected under a previous recall by the company, Toyota said a “problem with the inspection process” may mean the problem was not identified in some of the vehicles that required the remedy, potentially increasing the “risk of injury in a crash.”
“As a result, the vehicles may not meet certain federal requirements, and there could be an increased risk of injury in a crash,” the company said, adding that no one should “sit in the front passenger seat of an involved vehicle” until it has been inspected and, if necessary, repaired.
Vehicles subject to either of the recalls will be inspected and fixed for free, Toyota said.
The company said it would notify all affected owners about the safety recall by the middle of February 2024.
Owners can check to see if their vehicles are impacted by visiting the websites for Lexus or Toyota and entering their vehicle identification number (VIN). While activated airbags can cause injuries such as cuts, bruises, or abrasions, they typically help more than they hurt. According to Transport Canada, airbags are key in preventing life-threatening and debilitating head and chest injuries.
“A study of real-world crashes conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the combination of seat belts and air bags is 75 percent effective in preventing serious head injuries and 66 percent effective in preventing serious chest injuries,” the Transport Canada site reads.
“That means 75 of every 100 people who would have suffered a serious head injury in a crash, and 66 out of 100 people who would have suffered chest injuries, were spared that fate because they wore seat belts and their vehicle had air bags.”
