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Toyota announced its recall of 1.12 million vehicles worldwide due to a short-circuit sensor capable of prohibiting air bags from deploying as designed in a news release shared on Wednesday (December 20).
The recall will includes several Toyota and Lexus models between the years 2000 and 2002 as listed below:
- Toyota Avalon, Avalon Hybrid (2000-21)
- Toyota Camry, Camry Hybrid (2020-22)
- Toyota Corolla (2020-21)
- Toyota Highlander, Highlander Hybrid (2020-21)
- Toyota RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid (2020-21)
- Toyota Sienna Hybrid (2021)
- Lexus ES250 (2021)
- Lexus ES300H (2020-22)
- Lexus ES350 (2020-21)
- Lexus RX350 (2020-21)
- Lexus RX450h (2020-21)
"The subject vehicles have Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat that could have been improperly manufactured, causing a short circuit," Toyota said in the news release announced the 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 and Lexus dealers will inspect the OCS sensors and replace them if necessary on all vehicles included in the recall free of charge. The automotive company said it will notify all customers of the recall by mid-February 2024.
Toyota had previously issued a recall for 3,500 RAV4 vehicles in the United States due to potential interference between internal parts that caused the OCS sensor to incorrectly detect the occupant in July 2022, NBC News reports. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration credits frontal air bags for saving the lives of more than 50,000 drivers in the U.S. for more than 30 years.