Toyota recalls 1.29M vehicles for air bags, wipers
1/30/2013TOKYO — Toyota is recalling 907,000 vehicles, mostly Corolla models, around the world for faulty air bags. It is also recalling 385,000 Lexus IS luxury cars for defective wipers.
Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Naoto Fuse said today that two crashes were reported in the United States related to the air bag problem, but Toyota had not been able to confirm them. Mr. Fuse said it was unclear whether anyone had been injured in the two crashes. Toyota has confirmed 18 cases in the United States of abrasion-type injuries from the air bag problem, he said.
Initially, the Japanese automaker had said there were no accidents related to either problem. In total, it received 46 reports of problems involving the air bags from North America, and one from Japan, and 25 reports of problems related to the windshield wipers.
Some 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix cars in the United States and thousands of similar vehicles in Japan, Mexico, and Canada that were manufactured between December 2001 and May 2004 are being recalled for air bags that can improperly inflate. Some 141,000 vehicles in Canada are part of that recall, according to Toyota.
The air bags inadvertently inflate when the vehicle's electronic signals damage a chip in the part that controls the air bags, Mr. Fuse said. Under the recall, the part will be corrected to be able to block such signals, he said.
The problem wipers, which can get stuck if there is heavy snowfall, affect three kinds of Lexus IS models, manufactured from May. 2005. to October. 2011, including 270,000 vehicles in the United States and nearly 17,000 vehicles in Canada.
Toyota's reputation for top quality was undermined in the past few years by massive recalls for a spate of problems, including bad brakes, gas pedals and floor mats, mostly in the United States.
Executives have repeatedly promised to beef up quality controls and be quicker with recalls to repair Toyota's image.