TOKYO–Toyota is recalling more than one million cars around the world for faulty air bags and defective windshield wipers.
The move comes just days after Toyota regained its spot as the world's number one automaker from US rival General Motors Co, with global vehicle sales that climbed to a record 9.748 million vehicles. The company is now recalling 907,000 cars, mostly Corollas, because of air bags that can improperly inflate when the vehicle's electronic signals damage a chip in the part that controls the air bags. It also is recalling 385,000 Lexus IS luxury cars with wipers that can get stuck if there is heavy snowfall.
Initially, the Japanese automaker had said there were no accidents related to either problem, but Toyota Motor Corp spokesman Naoto Fuse said yesterday that two crashes were reported in the US related to the air bag problem. Toyota had not been able to confirm them and Fuse said it is unclear whether anyone was injured in the two crashes.
Toyota has confirmed 18 cases in the US of abrasion-type injuries from the air bag problem, he said. In total, the automaker has received 46 reports of problems involving the air bags from North America, and one from Japan, and 25 reports of problems related to the windshield wipers.
AP