Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) has issued out a massive recall of 1.43 million vehicles over an airbag problem in its Lexus CT200h and Prius models.
The automaker made the announcement on Tuesday where it stated that the vehicles could potentially have a cracked weld. This problem can result in a half-inflated airbag in the event of a crash. The error can also cause the inflator to fly into the vehicle during a crash, thus causing injury to the passengers. Despite the massive recall, the company claims that it has not received any complaints of injuries that are related to this problem, and there have therefore been no reported incidences where the flaw has caused injury or death.
The recall closely resembles the Takata airbag problem that has led recalls for millions of vehicles by Toyota itself and other vehicle manufacturers. This particular problem is different because it is not a matter of Takata airbags. Half of the vehicles recalled were not fitted with Takata airbags. The recent recall made by Toyota affects the Lexus and Prius models manufactured from 2008 to 2012.
Roughly 495,000 vehicles involved in the recall were sold in North America while 743,000 of them went into the Japanese market. The rest of the vehicles were sold in Europe and other regions in the world. Toyota released a statement saying the danger presents itself because the small crack in the weld might become bigger over time. The company is, however, happy that the flaw has not resulted in any incidents, unlike the Takata airbag flaw which has been tied to hundreds of injuries and 11 deaths.
The recent recall also seems to have affected fewer models and has not been cited by other vehicle manufacturers. The Takata flaw affected 12 automotive manufacturers, and the number of vehicles recalled was more than 100 million. Toyota has also cited another problem which affects the emissions control units for the Corolla, Auris, and Prius models. The number of recalls made for this flaw was 2.87 million.