8 ON YOUR SIDE CONSUMER ALERT: Toyota wants some owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately
8 ON YOUR SIDE CONSUMER ALERT – Toyota wants the drivers of some of its vehicles to stop driving them immediately until the airbags can be fixed.
The owners of about 61,000 older Corolla, Matrix, RAV4 and mechanically-related Pontiac Vibe models to stop driving them because their Takata air bag inflators are at risk of exploding and hurling shrapnel.
A recall has been issued, affecting these models:
- 2003-2004 Corolla
- 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix
- 2004-2005 RAV4
- 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe
“If the air bag deploys, a part inside is more likely to explode and shoot sharp metal fragments, which could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers,” Toyota said in a statement.
The Corolla and Matrix also are under a separate recall because their air bags can be deployed without a crash, the company said.
Owners should contact a local dealer instead of driving the cars in for repairs. Dealers will provide options such as mobile repair, towing the car to a dealer, or vehicle pickup and delivery.
Owners can go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their cars are affected.
Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical propellant can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity. It can explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel.
At least 26 people have been killed in the U.S. by Takata inflators since May 2009. The exploding air bags sent Takata of Japan into bankruptcy.
The potential for a dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history. About 100 million inflators were recalled worldwide.
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