Air bag defect Toyota recalls 300,000 SUVs

Air bag defect Toyota recalls 300,000 SUVs Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced on the 21st the recall of more than 300,000 full-function vehicles sold in the United States...

Air bag defect Toyota recalls 300,000 SUVs Toyota announced on the 21st that it would recall more than 300,000 RAV4 and Highlander SUVs sold in the United States to repair defective airbag sensors. The recall covers 214,000 2007 and 2008 RAV4 vehicles and 94,000 2008 Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles. The recall does not cover Lexus or any other Toyota vehicle model. Toyota U.S. Sales said that the RAV4 and Highlander's airbag sensor combination has two sensors that detect the car's roll angle. If one sensor fails, the warning light will come on, causing the roll detection system to stop functioning. If both sensors fail at the same time, the pre-belts and side curtain airbags may be accidentally activated. This sensor failure will not prevent the airbag from deploying in a crash. A Toyota spokesman said the company had received reports of minor injuries related to the defect, including a driver who cut his hand on a seat belt in March. The company's dealers will replace the recalled vehicles with new sensor combinations free of charge. Over the past year and a half, Toyota has recalled more than 14 million vehicles globally due to a variety of defects, including faulty floor mats, stuck gas pedals and faulty braking software. The company paid a record $48.8 million in fines to the U.S. government for mishandling three repair calls and faced dozens of lawsuits from U.S. car owners, including allegations that drivers died because of the defects in their cars.