Toyota recalls 2.9M vehicles; air bags may not inflate

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Corbis via Getty Images

Toyota is recalling about 2.9 million cars in the U.S. because the air bags may not inflate in a crash.

The recall covers certain 2011-2019 Corollas, the 2011 to 2013 Matrix, the 2012 through 2018 Avalon and the 2013 to 2018 Avalon Hybrid.

Toyota says the air bag control computer may not be properly protected against electrical interference. That can lead to incomplete air bag deployment or failure to inflate in a crash.

Toyota statement:

"The subject vehicles may be equipped with an electronic control unit (ECU) from a specific supplier designed to receive signals from crash sensors and deploy the airbags and seat belt pretensioners.  The ECU may not have adequate protection against certain electrical noise that can occur in certain crashes, such as severe underride crashes. This can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the airbags and/or seat belt pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of seat belt pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash."

In most cases, Toyota dealers will install a noise filter between the air bag control computer and a wiring harness. In some cases, dealers will inspect the computer to determine if it needs the filter. The remedy will be at no cost to vehicle owners.

Owners will be notified by mid-March.

To see if your vehicle is involved in the safety recall, visit https://www.toyota.com/recall or https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or license plate information. You can also call Toyota's Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.