Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) is recalling 1 million vehicles in the United States over potentially faulty airbag sensors which could see the front passenger airbag fail to deploy during a crash.
The company said that the vehicles, which include certain 2020 to 2022 Toyota and Lexus models, have Occupant Classification Systems (OCS) in the front passenger seat that may have been improperly manufactured causing a short circuit.
This would not allow the airbag system to properly calculate the occupant’s weight and means the airbag may not deploy in certain crashes.
All vehicles impacted by the recall will have their OCS sensors inspected by Toyota and Lexus dealers and if required, replace the sensors at no cost to the vehicle owner.
Impacted customers will be notified by the end of February 2024, Toyota said.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Toyota’s small-car unit Daihatsu Motor is being inspected by Japan’s transport ministry after a third-party investigation found “irregularities” in the company’s safety test data dating back to the late 1980s.
A day earlier, Daihatsu said it would be suspending shipments of its vehicles indefinitely after the discovery of additional safety-inspection inconsistencies.
After initially falling on the news, shares of the automaker traded 0.6% higher at US$181 on Thursday morning.