Toyota in “Final Phase” of U.S. Airbag Recalls

Toyota Motor Corp. says it is recalling 928,000 vehicles in the U.S. under the final phase of its multi-year effort to replace Takata Corp. airbag inflators that can degrade and then explode in a crash.

When a Takata inflator misfires, it blasts metal shards into the passenger compartment. Such explosions have been blamed for 24 fatalities worldwide, including 16 in the U.S., along with hundreds of injuries.

The latest campaign targets vehicles whose Takata inflators were replaced during a previous recall with a similar Takata device, pending the availability of more stable inflators made by other suppliers.

Toyota says it now has the more durable devices in stock. Dealers will replace the Takata inflators for the driver’s or front passenger’s airbag, or the entire airbag module.

The final campaign involves a wide range of Toyota and Lexus brand cars, SUV/crossovers and pickup trucks. Toyota plans to notify owners by mid-December.

Owners can determine whether their vehicles are involved in Takata or other safety recalls by visiting Toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls. Both websites look up recall records based on the VIN (vehicle identification number).