Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday that it's recalling around 645,000 vehicles worldwide for repair, out of which 49,000 are in the US, due to an issue with air bags inflating properly in case of an accident. Models affected by the recall were all produced between May of 2015 to March of 2016, including Toyota Prius, Lexus RX and NX SUVs. Owners will be notified in late March. If necessary, serial numbers on sensors will be replaced by dealers at no cost.
The car manufacturer said that an issue with the electrical circuit could set off an air bag warning light, which could prevent the side and front air bags from inflating. A similar issue was reported with Toyota's vehicles in Africa in a week ago, which caused the company's South African branch to recall more than 700 000 cars over airbag safety concerns, some more than 15 years old. "There has not been a single reported injury or fatality in this country arising from the potentially faulty Takata airbag inflators - and we want to keep it that way," stated Andrew Kirby, president and chief executive officer of Toyota South Africa.
