Japanese car giant Toyota is to recall over 31,000 cars in Portugal – and around 5.8 million in the world – due to concerns that they are equipped with faulty airbags linked to at least 16 deaths.
The recall involves Hilux, Auris, Corolla and Yaris models produced between May 2000 and November 2001 and between April 2006 and December 2014, a source from Toyota Caetano Portugal told TSF radio.
Vehicle owners will be informed if their car is one of the affected, the source added.
The vehicle will then undergo a free repair procedure lasting between “one and three hours”.
According to Reuters, the air bag inflators in question “use a chemical compound which can explode with excessive force after prolonged exposure to hot conditions, and have been linked to at least 16 deaths globally, mainly in the United States”.
