Toyota India recalls 170 units of Prius over faulty airbags

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has announced a voluntary recall of their famed hybrid product, the Prius in India. The recall has been issued to fix a probable fault in the retention brackets of curtain airbags equipped in the Prius. It affects 170 units of the Prius Hybrid in India, which have been manufactured between November 2009 and April 2012.

This announcement is a part of a global recall that the Japanese automaker announced yesterday, which affects around 1.4 million units of the Prius and the Lexus CT200h. The carmaker's Indian arm claims that there have been no reported incidents or injuries due to the failure of the affected part here. And thus the company has issued the recall as a preventive measure.

It must be noted here that this particular recall isn't related to the massive Takata airbag recalls that have been dooming the International automotive industry for about a year. Instead, the Prius suffers from a retention bracket fault in the driver and passenger side curtain airbags. The inflators of these airbags might have a crack in the weld, which can separate it from the roof rails in case of an explosion. This can result in the airbag not being fully inflated in the event of an accident, or parts of the inflator being ejected with the airbag, which can prove to be fatal for the occupants.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has further said that its authorized dealerships will soon be contacting the concerned customers to carry forward the recall process. All inspection and replacement of parts will be done free of cost for the owner.

Source: Autocar India