Toyota to recall 885,000 cars due to airbag control fault

The vehicle manufacturer is recalling cars from model years 2012 and 2013 due to problems with air conditioning condensers affecting airbags.

17:01 18 October 2013

Toyota Motor Corp is recalling 885,000 Avalon, Venza, and Camry sedans due to potential problems with air conditioning condensers which results in malfunctions with the car’s airbags. The company admitted that in some cases the airbag could be deployed on its own unexpectedly. 

The recall affects 44,000 cars in Canada, 9,100 in Saudi Arabia, and 10,600 in Mexico. Others are scattered among 15 countries. A spokesman has told BBC that it received reports of two minor injuries due to the issue.

This is the third time that Toyota issued a recall recently.
Last month, the company recalled more than 780,000 vehicles in the US due to suspension defect in its RAV4 and Lexus HS 250h models. In September, it recalled 615,000 Sienna minivans in the US over a lever problem that can cause vehicles to shift out of park mode "without the driver depressing the brake pedal.”

Vivek Vaidya, an auto analyst with consulting firm Frost & Sullivan told the BBC that recalls would more likely to tarnish Toyota’s reputation. He said: "Repeated recalls definitely dent the image of any carmaker.”

"If you have one big recall, it is still manageable. But if (a company) calls back different vehicle models at different times for unrelated issues, customers tend to have a re-think about your quality assurance.

"And if the problem involves airbag deployment - it becomes a serious issue.”