Takata Saga Continues As Toyota And GM Urge More Owners To Stop Driving Over Faulty Airbags

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Toyota and General Motors have issued an urgent do-not-drive warning to owners of certain 2003-2005 vehicles equipped with faulty Takata airbags in the United States.

The recall impacts a total of 61,000 vehicles in the U.S., consisting of 50,000 Toyota models and 11,000 from GM. Toyota vehicles involved include certain 2003-2004 Corolla models, the 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix, and the 2004-2005 RAV4, while GM has recalled the 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe which was a rebranded version of the Corolla Matrix built in the same factory.

A statement released by Toyota reveals that vehicles involved in the recall are equipped with faulty Takata airbag inflators that could shoot metal fragments into the cabin if they are deployed in a crash. RAV4 models have these faulty airbags on the driver’s side while the Corolla and Corolla Matrix have them on the passenger side. The company is urging owners to not drive their vehicles until the issue can be repaired.

Read: Takata Is Back At It As BMW X3, X4, And X5 Recalled Over Exploding Inflators

“Owners SHOULD NOT DRIVE these vehicles until the FREE safety recall repair has been conducted,” it said in a statement. “Toyota urges owners to contact their local dealer instead of driving their vehicle to be repaired. Dealers may provide one of several options FREE of charge, such as mobile repair at the vehicle’s location, towing to the dealership, vehicle pickup and delivery, or other alternate transportation options.”

General Motors is also urging owners of the Pontiac Vibe to not drive their vehicles until the repair can be done. All repairs will be carried out free of charge.

Subject Takata airbag inflators rely on a volatile ammonium nitrate to trigger a small explosion but this chemical can deteriorate in high temperatures and areas of high humidity. At least 30 people have been killed worldwide by faulty Takata airbags since 2009.