A 2012 Toyota Prius. Some versions of the popular hybrid suffer from both of the defects.
Toyota Motor Co. will recall 3.37 million vehicles due to a series of safety and emissions problems, the world’s largest automaker announced on Wednesday.
The global service action includes 2.87 million vehicles with faulty emissions control units. A faulty airbag inflator was installed in 1.43 million cars. Some of the popular Toyota Prius hybrids suffer from both problems which is why the actual total number of vehicles affected by the recall comes in at 3.37 million.
The airbag problem involves a faulty system that may partially inflate without a crash, creating the risk of injury. Toyota noted that the defective system was provided Autoliv, and not by Takata Corp., the Japanese airbag supplier now responsible for the largest recall in automotive history.
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The new airbag recall covers Toyota Prius hybrids, Prius plug-ins and Lexus CT200h vehicles produced between October 2008 and April 2012. Of those, 743,000 were sold in Japan, 495,000 in North America, 141,000 in Europe, 9,000 in China and 46,000 in other parts of the world.
Stockholm-based Autoliv said it received seven reports of side-impact airbags in Toyota Prius hybrids partially inflating while parked and without any impact to set off the vehicles’ crash sensors.
There were no injuries reported.
An older version of the Corolla. None of the defective emissions systems was used in the U.S.
The recall, which Autoliv estimates could cost up to $40 million to complete, is the latest in an ongoing series of issues involving faulty airbag systems. By far the biggest has been the problem involving defective Takata airbag inflators. So far linked to at least 13 deaths, they can over-inflate during a crash, spewing debris into the passenger compartment.
U.S. regulators ordered 24 million vehicles recalled last October and added tens of millions more vehicles to the list this spring. The final tally is expected to approach 50 million vehicles – though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is phasing things in over three years – making it by far the largest recall in automotive history.
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Toyota says there were no injuries related to the second recall it is ordering, either.
That service action targets an emissions control system used in a variety of models sold throughout the world. If cracks develop that could cause a fuel leak and possible fire.
The recall affects 2.87 million vehicles from the Toyota and Lexus brands. These include the Prius, Auris, Corolla, Zelas, Lucas and Lexus HS250h and CT200h produced from April 2006 through August 2015. The majority of the vehicles were sold in Japan. None were marketed in North America.
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