Toyota Warns Owners to Park Cars Due to Air Bag Problems

(AmericanProsperity.com) – Toyota has just recently put out a warning to drivers who own Corollas, Matrices, RAV4, and Pontiac Vibes for them to stop driving them due to the Takata airbag recall. The company, along with General Motors, says that the Takata airbags have the potential to explode.

The warning was issued Monday and it covers different types of Corollas and Matrix hatchbacks made from the years 2003 to 2004. It also covers RAV4s made between 2004 and 2005 and nearly 11,000 Pontiac Vibes made between 2003 and 2004.

Toyota said in a statement, “If the airbag 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.”

Takata airbags are used on the driver’s side of these RAV4s, while they are installed on the passenger’s side in Corollas and Matrixes. There is also a separate recall for the Corolla and Matrix, because, according to Toyota, the airbags can be deployed without an accident.

The Takata airbag problem has been an issue for many car models and makes. In fact, it’s been known that at least 26 people have died as a result of the Takata airbag since 2009 in the United States, and about 400 people have been injured. The biggest issue is that the Takata airbags can explode with tons of force, which can blow a part of the metal canister, causing metal pieces to fly. This defect is due to it being exposed to humidity and high heat. The airbag defect caused Takata in Japan to file for bankruptcy.

Both General Motors and Toyota told owners that they should reach out to a dealer near them to get serviced and not to drive the cars into the dealership, or at all. Some dealers may propose different options offering to tow the car and bring it to the dealer, mobile repair, or a vehicle pickup and delivery option.

Owners can find out if their cars are affected by entering the 17-digit vehicle identification number of their car at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, or nhtsa.gov/recalls, and it will verify if your car has been affected or not.