You might want to avoid sitting in the front passenger seat of specific 2020-2022 Toyota vehicles until a recall repair concerning the airbag is carried out. These vehicles may inaccurately assess the occupant’s size in the passenger seat, potentially leading to the airbag not deploying as intended.
The recall covers 1.12 million worldwide, one million of which are located in the United States. It affects certain Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Highlanders, and Sienna Hybrids, as well as certain Lexus ES250, ES300H, and RX350s from the 2020-2022 model years.
Read: Toyota Tacoma And RAV4 Called Back To Dealers For Repairs
A short circuit in these vehicles may affect the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, reports Reuters. It is designed to determine if a small adult or child is in the front, and calibrates the airbag performance accordingly, in order to protect them from being injured by the safety system that is designed for larger occupants.
However, the possibility of interference between internal components could disrupt the operation of the OCS sensor, leading to inaccurate assessments of occupant size. This recall of the affected vehicles mirrors a previous recall involving just 3,500 Toyota RAV4s, which was initiated in 2022.
That issue was specifically related to the eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat. A stopper in the seat frame was to blame for the problem at that time, and caused the OCS to incorrectly detect the occupant load in the seat.
In order to remedy the situation, Toyota has determined that a recall campaign must be initiated. It will ask owners to return their vehicles to a nearby dealer where it will be inspected, and the sensor will be replaced as necessary.
