2017.03.3003:06:00UTC+00Toyota Recalls 2.9 million Cars Over Airbag Defect

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it would order back a total of around 2.9 million vehicles due to potentially defective airbag parts.

Toyota said cars including its Corolla Axio sedan and RAV4 SUV crossover in Japan, China, Oceania and other regions would be part of the global recall. A recall was issued for around 1.16 million vehicles sold in Oceania, the Middle east and other smaller markets. In Japan, 750, 000 vehicles are to be returned. Cars sold in North America were not included in the latest recall.

Fuji Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., and Hino Motors also called back a combined total of around 240,000 vehicles in the Japanese market over the faulty inflators made by Takata Corp., which blow up after prolonged exposure to heat.

The exploding inflators have been linked to over a dozen deaths, which mostly occurred in the U.S.

The known defect caused the biggest-ever global recall in the auto industry. Global transport regulators and authorities deems Takata inflators to be unsafe because they contain ammonium nitrate which is dangerous if used without a drying agent. Around 100 million of the inflators used in varying vehicles were ordered to be withdrawn.

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