Toyota to recall 20,000 vehicles for Takata air bags

January 22, 2020

Tokyo--Toyota Motor Co. <7203> informed Japan's transport ministry on Wednesday of plans to recall a total of 20,945 vehicles of 21 models, including the Vitz compact, due to old-type defective air bags of Takata Corp.

According to the ministry, the air bags for the driver's seat may lead to an abnormal rupture or may not inflate at the time of an accident because the auto parts' equipment to absorb moisture does not work correctly.

Overseas sales of the models in question, manufactured between February 1997 and August 1999, total some 340,000 units, the ministry said.

Last month, the ministry instructed Toyota and six other automakers to consider whether to recall or investigate problematic vehicles under the road transport vehicle law, after passenger cars equipped with old-type Takata air bags caused fatal and injury accidents in Australia in 2019. Jiji Press