Toyota and Honda recall 6m vehicles over airbags
Toyota and Honda are recalling more than six million cars worldwide after discovering separate airbag faults that could have deadly consequences for drivers.
Toyota has issued a safety recall for about 3.4 million cars, the majority of which are in the US, because of a problem that could stop airbags inflating in a crash.
Honda’s issue impacts some 2.7 million vehicles in North America with Takata airbag inflators, which could explode on deployment, sending shrapnel into the face and body of the car’s occupants.
All models affected by the Toyota recall feature airbag control computers manufactured by ZF-TRW, the Mail Online reports. This includes Corolla models built between 2011 and 2019, 2011 to 2013 Matrix, 2012 to 2018 Avalon and 2013 to 2018 Avalon Hybrid models.
The same computers are used in up to 12.3 million vehicles in the US manufactured by Chrysler, Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi.
The fault is linked to the airbag systems being vulnerable to electrical interference, which risks preventing airbags from inflating in a collision.
Safety body investigating
Toyota says the computer “may not have adequate protection against electrical noise that can happen in crashes, such as when the vehicle runs under a different vehicle. The problem can cause incomplete opening of the airbags, or they may not open at all.”
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which claims up to eight people have died in the country due to a vehicle airbag failing to inflate, has been investigating ZF-TRW airbag computers for almost three years.
Honda’s recall of 2.7 million vehicles in the US and Canada was for models with Takata airbag inflators. These are not the same airbags blamed for 25 deaths worldwide that resulted in the industry's biggest recall, but they still pose a potentially lethal threat if the issue isn’t rectified.
The recall covers certain Hondas from the 1996 to 2003 model years. Acura models, which is the luxury arm of Honda in the US, are also believed to be impacted.
“Honda believes that the risk of improper air bag deployment in its vehicles remains very low at this time, but we cannot absolutely guarantee the performance of any recalled part,” the brand says.
