The Japanese car manufacturer Toyota is recalling 1.12 million U.S. vehicles to repair shops worldwide because a possible short circuit in a sensor could cause airbags not to deploy as intended. The recall affects vehicles from model years 2020 to 2022, the company announced on Wednesday evening. These include models such as Avalon, Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Lexus ES250, ES300H, ES350, RX350, Highlander and Sienna Hybrid. Alone in the USA Around a million vehicles are affected by the recall.
The Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors are actually designed to ensure that the airbags do not deploy when a small adult or child is sitting in the front seat. Dealers would check the sensors and replace them if necessary.
Toyota issued a recall for 3,500 RAV4 vehicles in the US in July last year due to problems between internal parts that prevent the OCS sensor from correctly detecting the occupant.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, front air bags have saved more than 50,000 lives in the United States over the past 30 years. The new sensors were introduced because older airbags deployed in the same way for all drivers and passengers, causing injuries and, in rare cases, death to children, small adults and unbelted passengers who were too close to the airbag when it deployed according to the authorities.