Toyota Australia is recalling some 34,000 Corolla, HiLux, Fortuner and Prius models produced between June 2015 and December 2015 due to ‘a condition affecting the airbag sensors’.
According to the Japanese carmaker, the vehicles in question are all equipped with an airbag system that uses multiple sensors to detect impact in the event of a collision.
“Due to two separate manufacturing issues, there is a possibility that the insulation layers of the IC chips could peel over time, creating an open circuit in the IC chip,” the company said in a statement.
“If this occurs, the airbag warning light will illuminate. Additionally, the side/curtain shield airbags and/or front airbags, may become deactivated.”
“Non-deployment of the side/curtain shield airbags and/or front airbags could increase the risk of injury to the occupants in the event of a collision.”
Toyota said it would contact all affected vehicle owners to provide details of this recall campaign, adding that replacement parts would be available by mid-2018.
“Toyota Australia will again contact all affected vehicle owners so they can make an appointment at their preferred Toyota dealer,” reads the company statement.
“Toyota dealers will determine if the sensors need to be replaced through an inspection process, which will take approximately 30 minutes.”
“If sensors do need to be replaced, the repair time will vary between 1 and 7 hours, dependent on the vehicle model and the number of sensors that require replacement.”
According to Toyota, all replacements will be carried out free of charge.
