Toyota to recall 3.4 million cars globally over defective airbags

Toyota vehicles in the UAE are unaffected by the recall

Toyota's investment into Pony.ai comes as carmakers increasingly look to build their driverless capabilities. Bloomberg

Japanese car maker Toyota is planning to recall 3.4 million cars around the world because of an electronic fault that can result in airbags failing to deploy during certain crashes.

Car owners in the UAE will not be affected by the worldwide recall, according to the local Toyota dealership.

"Toyota vehicles in the UAE are not affected as part of this recall," a spokesperson for Al Futtaim Automotive, the UAE's Toyota dealer, told The National.

The global recall, which includes 2.9 million US vehicles, impacts 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles.

A faulty electronic control unit could malfunction in certain crashes and prevent air bags and seat belt pre-tensioners — the devices that tighten belts in a crash — from deploying, Toyota said in a statement.

Toyota dealers will install a noise filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness if needed, Reuters reported.

Toyota declined to say how many deaths or injuries have been tied to the defect, according to Reuters. The car maker will notify vehicle owners of the recall by mid-March.

Separately, Honda said it will recall 2.4 million older vehicles over defective air bags that the now-bankrupt supplier Takata told US regulators in December could put drivers at risk, the car maker said on Tuesday.