• The advisory includes models from 2003 to 2005.
• The recall includes the 2003-2004 Corolla, 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix, and 2004-2005 RAV4.
• Takata airbag inflators have caused the largest safety recall in motor industry history.

Toyota has issued an urgent advisory to owners of 50,000 older vehicles in the US, urging them to undergo immediate repairs, as Takata-made airbag inflators could explode and pose a lethal threat. The advisory, labeled “Do Not Drive,” encompasses some of the world’s largest carmaker’s models from 2003 to 2005. Since 2009, authorities have linked more than 30 deaths to airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.

Toyota says “If the airbag deploys, a part inside is more likely to explode and shoot sharp metal fragments”.

Those fragments “could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers,” it added.

The recall involves the 2003-2004 model Corolla, 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix, and 2004-2005 RAV4.

Takata airbag inflators have caused the largest safety recall in motor industry history, with over 100 million products and more than 20 carmakers affected by serious issues. After more than a decade and a half of recalls, lawsuits, and a criminal investigation in the US, Takata filed for bankruptcy in 2017, with its assets being sold to Chinese-owned Key Safety Systems for about $1.6bn (£1.3bn).

This is not the sole issue Toyota has faced recently. This week, the Japanese car giant suspended shipments of certain vehicles due to irregularities in certification tests for diesel engines, developed by Toyota Industries. An investigation revealed that Toyota Industries employees manipulated horsepower output tests. The affected engines are used in 10 models sold globally, including the Hiace van and Land Cruiser sport utility vehicle, according to Toyota.

Additionally, Toyota is working to resolve a case of misconduct at small car specialist Daihatsu, which admitted to falsifying safety tests dating back more than three decades. Japan’s transport ministry raided Daihatsu headquarters late last year, resulting in the suspension of global shipments for the affected vehicles. The government has since revoked certification for three Daihatsu models. When asked this week about the scandals at Toyota’s subsidiaries, President Koji Sato acknowledged that workers had felt pressure to cut corners in an intensely competitive industry.

“We recognize that not only people at the testing site but also management did not have a proper understanding of certification,” he said.

On Tuesday, Toyota announced that it achieved a record-breaking sales figure of 11.2 million vehicles in 2023, solidifying its position as the world’s top-selling carmaker for a fourth consecutive year.

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