The owners of the nearly one million Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles have been through this before. The vehicles were previously recalled to replace defective Takata airbags that put drivers and passengers at risk of injury and death.
The initial recall allowed the Japanese auto giant to replace the high-risk Takata airbags with Takata replacements. This time, Toyota is recalling the 928,000 vehicles to dealerships that will replace the stop-gap Takata airbags with permanent replacements from non-Takata suppliers.
Toyota says this final phase of addressing the defective Takata airbags is being done ahead of schedule. Dealers will replace either the driver airbag inflator, the front passenger inflator or the entire airbag assembly.
Vehicles being recalled include the following:
- 2010-2016 Toyota 4Runner
- 2003-2013 Toyota Corolla
- 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla Matrix
- 2004-2005 Toyota RAV4
- 2002-2007 Toyota Sequoia
- 2011-2013 Toyota Sienna
- 2003-2006 Toyota Tundra
- 2007-2012 Toyota Yaris
- 2008-2012 Scion xB
- 2007-2012 Lexus ES350
- 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F
- 2010-2017 Lexus GX460
- 2002-2010 Lexus SC430
- 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350
- 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C
As our regular readers know, the problem with Takata airbags has been well-publicized. The devices can when deployed send sharp metal fragments into the vehicle’s cabin, striking the driver or passengers, resulting in serious injuries or fatalities.
To find out if your vehicle is part of a recall, go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website at www.safercar.gov and enter your vehicle’s 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN).
Please contact a consumer protection attorney to help you resolve issues involving defective new or used vehicles, dealer fraud or violations of Lemon Laws.