Toyota recalls 1M cars, SUVs over issue affecting passenger airbags

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Toyota has issued a safety recall affecting about 1 million cars and SUVs in the United States over a manufacturing issue that could prevent the passenger airbag from deploying in a crash.

The recall was issued Wednesday for 15 Toyota and Lexus models produced in 2020 and 2021, including Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, RAV4 and Sienna along with Lexus' ES and RX models.

The company said at issue is the Occupant Classification System sensors in the front passenger seat. It said they could short circuit as a result of being improperly manufactured.

"This would not allow the airbag system to properly classify the occupant's weight, and the airbag may not deploy as designed in certain crashes, increasing the risk of injury," it said in a statement.

Toyota and Lexus dealers will inspect the sensors and replace them at no cost to the owners of the recalled vehicles, who will be notified by the middle of February, it said.

Those seeking more information or to check if their vehicle is affected by the recall are encouraged to visit toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls.

The recall is the third by Toyota in as many months, with 1.8 million RAV4 vehicles produced between 2013-2018 recalled early last month and 750,000 2020-2023 model-year Highlander vehicles recalled in late October.