(TheIndependentStar.com) – Toyota has issued a critical “Do Not Drive” advisory, alerting owners of specific vehicle models to seek immediate and free safety repairs due to the alarming risk of airbag explosions.
This urgent notice impacts the 2003-2004 Corolla, 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix, and 2004-2005 RAV4 models.
According to the advisory, around 50,000 vehicles are believed to be affected. This action follows reports of at least 30 deaths since 2009 linked to the vehicles’ airbags, as highlighted by the BBC.
The danger, as explained by Toyota, lies in the potential for a part inside the airbag to explode upon deployment, sending sharp metal fragments flying.
This poses a severe risk of serious injury or even death to both the driver and passengers.
This recall is part of a broader issue with Takata airbag inflators, which is noted by the BBC as the largest recall in the history of automotive safety, encompassing over 100 million products across more than 20 carmakers.
Takata’s role in this crisis was further emphasized by their 2017 bankruptcy filing, around the same time Honda recalled 772,000 vehicles due to the same issue.
By 2019, the recall had expanded to include an additional 1.6 million vehicles.
Major automakers like Ford and GM have also been significantly impacted, with over 10 million vehicles combined recalled because of the explosion risk.
This issue hit a personal note in the entertainment world when actor Scott Eastwood, son of the legendary Clint Eastwood, tragically lost his girlfriend, Jewel Brangman, in 2014.
She was only 26 when an exploding airbag in her Honda, caused by a minor car accident, released shrapnel that led to her death.
The incident, reported by People, occurred as she was driving from San Diego to Los Angeles, further showing the grave dangers posed by these faulty airbags.
