Toyota has announced a limited regional recall for select vehicles equipped with flawed airbags from Japanese parts supplier Takata that have been known to have explosive inflators.
The recall comprises certain 2003-'05 Toyota Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, Tundra, Lexus SC 430 and Pontiac Vibe vehicles registered to owners living in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Edmunds.com reported.
The company doesn't yet have an exact vehicle number for this recall, Toyota told Edmunds.
Takata's problematic airbags, which have been linked with six injuries and two deaths, have been the reason behind multiple recalls this week, including more from other Japanese carmakers.
The airbag inflators are suspected to have been produced with propellant that was improperly stored and exposed to moisture, something that can cause the airbags to explode and shower drivers and passengers with shrapnel during a crash.
"Upon deployment of the passenger-side frontal airbag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in its summary of the problem, as quoted by Edmunds. "In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger-side frontal airbag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the vehicle occupants."
The six injuries and two deaths connected with faulty airbag inflators were linked to Honda vehicles in 2009.
Toyota hasn't outlined a timetable for the regional recall, which is related to a larger action from several automakers that are responding to an NHTSA probe into Takata's airbags.
One concern is that airbags are more likely to explode in areas that have high levels of humidity.
"Based on the limited data available at this time, NHTSA supports efforts by automakers to address the immediate risk in areas that have consistently hot, humid conditions over extended periods of time," the agency said.
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