Toyota Reissues Recall Because No One Wants Shrapnel Flying Out Of Their Airbags

No driver wants to encounter a piece of metal flying toward their heads, especially if that shrapnel is coming from a device meant to save your life. To cut down on that risk, Toyota is reissuing a 2013 recall of more than 700,000 vehicles.

Toyota announced that the company may have received an incomplete list of potentially defective airbag units from Japanese-supplier Takata when the recall was first issued last year, USA Today reports.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notification [PDF] of the original recall, a defect on the passenger side frontal airbag could produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment.

In the event of a crash the airbags could inflate incorrectly in a crest and “propel fragments toward occupants.”

The renotification recall includes 766,300 model year 2003-04 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Tundra trucks, 2002-2004 Sequoias and 2002-2004 Lexus SC 430 coupes.

Toyota reports there have been no crashes or injuries, but one seat cover did sustain burns related to the issue.

Last year, Toyota, Honda and Nissan recalled more than 3.4 million vehicles because their Takata supplied airbags were found to deploy abnormally.

Toyota re-recalls 766,300 for airbag shrapnel risk [USA Today]

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