Toyota Canada announced Wednesday that it is recalling more than 100,000 vehicles due to issues with the front passenger airbags.
The company that the recalls affects 99,965 Toyota and Lexus vehicles from the 2020 to 2022 model years, including the Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid and Sienna Hybrid. Affected Lexus models include the ES250, ES300H, ES350, RX350 and RX450h.
Toyota says these vehicles have issues with their Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seats. The OCS sensors ensure the front airbag can deploy if it detects the weight of a passenger in the front seat, but Toyota says the sensors on these vehicles could short circuit, which can result in the airbag not deploying in an accident.
"For all involved vehicles, Toyota and Lexus dealers will inspect the OCS sensors, and, if necessary, replace them at no cost to owners," the company said.
This comes the same day the company recalled 1.12 million vehicles in the U.S. due to the same issue with the OCS sensors.
In a separate news release issued Wednesday, Toyota also said it is recalling from the 2022 and 2023 model years, also due to "a manufacturing error in the instrument panel," affecting the front passenger airbag.
These vehicles were already inspected after a previous recall, but due to a problem with the inspection process, Toyota says it may have failed to identify some of the vehicles needing repairs, meaning that some vehicles may not meet federal requirements and pose an "increased risk of injury in a crash."
Toyota says dealers will re-inspect the affected Corolla Cross vehicles "with an improved process" and replace the instrument panel for free, if necessary. However, until the inspection process is completed, the company is warning people not to sit in the front passenger seat of these vehicles.
For both recalls, Toyota says it plans to notify affected owners by the middle of February 2024. Owners can check if their vehicles are affected by visiting or and entering their vehicle identification number (VIN).
