Toyota just recalled 1.7 million cars with potentially deadly airbags that could explode and spray metal shrapnel

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Toyota just recalled 1.7 million cars with potentially deadly airbags that could explode and spray metal shrapnel

Toyota 4Runner TRD PRO 2015

Toyota

The 2015 Toyota 4Runner is one of the cars affected by the recall.

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  • Toyota and its Lexus luxury brand have issued a recall for 1.7 million cars worldwide, 1.3 million of which were sold in the US.
  • The recall is due to faulty Takata-made airbag inflators that have been linked to 23 deaths and 290 injuries worldwide.
  • The Takata airbags could explode, spraying metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks.
  • Affected Toyota models, from the 2010 through 2016 model years, include the 4Runner SUV, Sienna minivan, and Corolla sedan.
  • Affected Lexus models, from the 2010 through 2017 model years, include the ES and IS passenger cars as well as the GX SUV.

Toyota Motor Corp said Wednesday it is recalling another 1.7 million vehicles worldwide for potentially faulty Takata airbag inflators as part of a multi-year industry recall campaign announced in 2016.

Automakers are adding about 10 million vehicle inflators in the United States to what was already the largest-ever recall campaign in history. Last week, Ford Motor Co said it was recalling 953,000 vehicles worldwide for Takata inflators. Previously, 37 million US vehicles with 50 million inflators were recalled and 16.7 million inflators remain to be replaced.

Toyota's new recall relates to vehicles from the 2010 through 2017 model years and includes 1.3 million vehicles in the United States.

The affected Toyota branded vehicles include:

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  • 2010-2013 model year Corolla,
  • 2010-2013 Matrix,
  • 2010-2016 4Runner, and
  • 2011-2014 Sienna.

There are also a handful of affected models from Toyota's luxury brand Lexus:

  • 2010-2013 IS 250,
  • 2010-2015 IS 250C,
  • 2010-2013 IS 350,
  • 2010-2015 IS 350C,
  • 2010-2014 IS-F,
  • 2010-2017 GX 460, and
  • 2010-2012 ES 350.

Finally, the 2010-2015 XB from Toyota's defunct Scion division is also affected by the recall.

Click here for more information on the recall and to see if your vehicle is affected.

At least 23 deaths worldwide have been linked to the rupturing of faulty Takata airbag inflators, including 15 in the United States.

Lexus IS 350 2012

Lexus

More than 290 injuries worldwide have been linked to Takata inflators that could explode, spraying metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks. In total, 19 automakers are recalling more than 100 million potentially faulty inflators worldwide.

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To date, 21 deaths have been reported in Honda Motor Co vehicles and two in Ford vehicles. Both automakers have urged some drivers of older vehicles not to drive them until the inflators are replaced.

Read more: Here are the 15 cars people love to keep for a long time - and they're all from Toyota, Honda, and Subaru.

The defect led Takata to file for bankruptcy protection in June 2017. In April, auto components maker Key Safety Systems completed a $1.6 billion deal to acquire Takata. The merged company, known as Joyson Safety Systems, is a subsidiary of Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp.

Automakers in the United States repaired more than 7.2 million defective Takata airbag inflators in 2018 as companies ramped up efforts to track down parts in need of replacement, according to a report released last month.

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