On the morning of January 30, 2024, Toyota issued a national warning to approximately 50,000 Toyota vehicle owners to “stop driving” and immediately bring their vehicle in for recall repairs to address the risk of air bag inflators that had the potential to explode. In cases wherein faulty air bags exploded in affected vehicles, the driver and sometimes the passengers are inflicted with grievous injuries or killed. Very likely, this explains the widespread warning from Toyota urging customers to take immediate action.
Toyota identified in the recall certain affected models of the 2003–04 Corolla, 2003–04 Corolla Matrix, and the 2004–05 RAV4, all of which are included in an ongoing lawsuit effort and recall against the air bag’s manufacturer, Takata.
As the affected vehicles approach their twenty-year marks, so do their internal components. In particular, as faulty Takata air bag deflators age, they become more likely to explode. However, that is not what makes these air bags such an extreme hazard. Instead, when these Takata air bags explode, they blast shrapnel toward the driver and other occupants at high speeds, as if the air bags were a grenade.
Accordingly, Toyota has issued a warning to not drive affected vehicles with a “Do Not Drive” advisory, providing that “Owners SHOULD NOT DRIVE these vehicles until the FREE safety recall repair has been conducted.”
Since the initial recall in 2004, Takata air bags have been responsible for many deaths and hundreds of injuries caused by defective air bags. If you or someone you know has been affected by a defective air bag that has caused injury or death, call Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner at 713-222-7211 or 1-800-870-9584 for a free consultation.