Toyota Recalls 1.29 Million Vehicles For Faulty Air Bags, Wipers
TOKYO (CBSMiami/AP) – More trouble for Toyota as the automaker issues a pair of recalls to fix faulty air bags and defective windshield wipers on over one million vehicles in the United States.
About 752,000 Corolla sedans and Corolla Matrix crossovers from the 2003 and 2004 model years are being recalled for a faulty airbag control module.
Toyota says the airbags might have an internal short that could cause them to inadvertently deploy.
Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Naoto Fuse said Wednesday that two crashes were reported in the U.S. related to the air bag problem, but Toyota had not been able to confirm them. Fuse said it was unclear whether anyone had been injured in the two crashes. Toyota has confirmed 18 cases in the U.S. of abrasion-type injuries from the air bag problem, he said.
In a separate notice, 270,000 Lexus IS sedans from the 2006 to 2012 model years are being recalled to check for a loose nut on the front windshield wipers.
Toyota says if movement of the wipers is restricted by an external load, such as a buildup of heavy snow on the windshield, one or both of the wipers could become inoperative.
Owners of vehicles covered by these safety recalls will receive a notification letter via first class mail in the near future.
The company says any authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer will fix the issues addressed in this recall at no charge to the vehicle owner.
For more information, Toyota owners can visit www.toyota.com/recallor 1-800-331-4331; and Lexus owners can visit www.lexus.com/recallor call 1-800-255-3987.
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 U.S.
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