Following the recent case of the 44-year-old Honda City driver who was killed when a Takata airbag shrapnel pierced her in the chest after a minor crash, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is recalling certain Toyota and Lexus models over possible defects involving air bags and emissions control units.
UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) will be carrying out a Special Service Campaign (SSC) for selected Toyota Prius models sold in the Malaysian market.
Although Toyota did not specify whether the recall is related to the Takata airbag problem, the company did say that it covers the curtain shield airbag issue affecting more than 3,500 units of Toyota Prius produced between April 2009 and April 2012.
The press release explained that it involves the airbags located in the left and right side roof rails that are composed of 2 chambers (compressed gas in one chamber and propellant in another) that are welded together.
“Some inflators could have a small crack in the welded area. If the crack spreads over time, the welded portion could separate. If an inflator separates, the curtain shield airbag could partially deploy and the inflator could be ejected into the vehicle interior. If an occupant is present in the vehicle, there is an increased risk of injury,” Toyota explained.
As part of Toyota’s SSC, the cars will be fitted with retention brackets on the curtain shield airbag inflators. These retention brackets serve as protectors to prevent the inflator chambers from being ejected into the cabin. The work will take approximately 2 – 4 hours, subject to the work schedule at the service centre.
The 2nd recall involves the evaporative fuel emission control unit (canister) also on Toyota Prius units produced between April 2009 and November 2013 that were sold in Malaysia. The number of units affected is around 6,000 units.
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Toyota said that the recall for the model relates to an evaporative fuel emissions control unit (canister) mounted in the fuel tank. This is because there is a possibility that cracks could develop in the coating of the emissions channel due to improper shaping of portions of the channel, and as a result of this condition, the cracks could expand over time and eventually fuel may leak from these cracks when the car has a full tank of fuel.
During the SSC, the fuel suction plate sub-assembly will be replaced. The work will take approximately 2 – 3 hours, subject to the work schedule at the service centre.
“No other Toyota models are affected by these 2 specific issues that are the subject of the SSC,” Toyota stressed.
Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified of the SSC and requested to bring their cars to an authorised Toyota Service Centre for the necessary remedies to be carried out. Owners will not be charged anything for the labour and parts involved as UMW Toyota Motor will bear all costs.
Owners who do not receive any notification can obtain clarification by calling the Toyota free-phone at 1800-8-TOYOTA (869682). They can also visit authorised Toyota service centres for assistance.
Source: Toyota Malaysia.
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