Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) is recalling 1,157 units of RAV4 for airbag inflator replacement as well as 81 units of Prius to change the seatbelt.
In a Philippine Star report, TMPC first vice president Rommel Gutierrez said the company is undertaking the safety campaign for the driver airbag inflator of RAV4 units produced from June 6, 1997 until Aug.17, 1999.
Gutierrez said that the safety campaign is being implemented following a defect information report filed by automotive parts firm Takata. It said that the propellant in some of the involved inflators may absorb moisture over time, which may lead to slow deployment or inflator rupture when the airbags are commanded to deploy.
“If an abnormal deployment of the driver airbag occurs, this could increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash,” Gutierrez said.
He said that as a safety measure, the TMPC would be replacing the front driver airbag inflator module at no cost to customers.
Meanwhile, the company is also recalling 81 Prius units produced from Nov. 27, 2015 until Sept. 27, 2017 to replace the driver side seat inner belt.
“For the subject vehicles, in the driver’s seat belt reminder system, due to an improper assembly of the electrical contacts in the reminder switch, there is a possibility that abnormal wear at the contacts may occur after repeated use of the seat belt and residue may be deposited,” he said.
In such condition, he said the seatbelt reminder could not be turned off even when the seatbelt is fastened due to a short circuit between the contacts.
To address this, he said TMPC will replace the driver side seat inner belt with a new one free of charge.
“TMP is currently preparing the replacement parts and will notify the concerned customers through official notification letters and invite them to bring their vehicles to Toyota dealer for the special service,” he said. – Louella Desiderio
