Toyota to recall 3.4 million vehicles worldwide, air bags may not deploy in crashes

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp said Tuesday it would recall 3.4 million vehicles worldwide because of an electronic defect that could result in air bags not deploying in crashes.

The recall, which includes 2.9 million US vehicles, covers 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles and is tied to a report of one fatal crash.

The vehicles may have an electronic control unit that does not have adequate protection against electrical noise that can occur in crashes, which could lead to incomplete or non-deployment of the air bags. It could also impede the operation of seat-belt pretensioners.

In April, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expanded a probe into 12.3 million potentially defective air bags covering a number of automakers, including the vehicles Toyota is recalling.

NHTSA said in April it had identified two frontal crash events, including one fatal crash "involving Toyota products where (electrical overstress) is suspected as the likely cause" of air bags not deploying. Both involved newer Corolla cars.

NHTSA said the air bags under investigation were installed in more than 12 million vehicles from 2010 through 2019 sold by Toyota, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Honda Motor Co , Hyundai Motor Co, Kia Motors Corp and Mitsubishi.

They were equipped with an air bag control unit initially produced by TRW Automotive Holdings Corp, which is now owned by ZF Friedrichshafen.

In total, NHTSA said as many as 8 deaths could be tied to the issue.

Hyundai, Kia and Fiat Chrysler previously issued recalls for more than 2.5 million vehicles with the TRW air bag control units in question that might not deploy in crashes.

When it recalled nearly 2 million vehicles for air bag non-deployments in 2016, Fiat Chrysler said it had reports of three deaths and five injuries that might be related to the defect.

Hyundai and Kia ultimately recalled more than 1 million vehicles for air bag non-deployment concerns in 2018. Hyundai and Kia in 2018 said they had reports of four deaths and six injuries in North America tied to the issue.

Toyota dealers will install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness if needed.

Toyota declined to say how many deaths or injuries have been tied to the defect. Toyota will notify vehicle owners of the recall by mid-March.

Agence France-Presse

Tesla recalls more than 14,000 cars in China over airbags

SHANGHAI, China - Tesla will recall 14,123 cars in China over airbags that contained parts made by now-defunct Japanese manufacturer Takata, the Chinese market regulator announced on Friday.

Tesla, which recently broke ground on a factory outside Shanghai, has said the move is part of an industry-wide global recall of parts made by Takata, which went bust in 2017 after its airbags were blamed for a number of deaths.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Honda to pay $605 million to settle Takata air bag lawsuit

NEW YORK - Honda Motor Co. said Friday it has agreed to pay $605 million to settle a lawsuit filed by U.S. vehicle owners seeking compensation for economic losses related to recalls of Takata Corp. air bags.

With the settlement by Honda, the Japanese automaker which had sold the most vehicles carrying Takata air bags, six automakers from Japan and Germany will pay a total of more than $1.2 billion in compensation following the class action lawsuit.

The settlement will cover expenses including taxi fares incurred while the owners' cars are under repair as well as an outreach program to ensure air bags are replaced, according to Honda and a document regarding the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Toyota Motor Corp., Mazda Motor Corp., Subaru Corp. and BMW AG reached a settlement in May for payments totaling $553 million. In August, Nissan Motor Co. also reached a settlement with vehicle owners to pay at least $97 million.

Ford Motor Co. has yet to settle the lawsuit and plaintiffs will continue seeking a settlement, according to U.S. media.

Honda has started its own program to call on vehicle owners to replace air bags.

A Honda official said the payment is unlikely to have a major impact on the company's earnings as it has already factored in some of the expenses resulting from the settlement.

Takata air bags have proved liable to explosions in which metal fragments have been known to spray at drivers and passengers. The defective inflators could have led to 13 deaths in the United States, where a total of 42 million vehicles across 19 automakers are subject to recall.

Takata has filed for bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring scheme to restore its business that has been badly battered by the global recall of its defective air bag systems.

source: news.abs-cbn.com