Toyota Now Has A Solution To Its Fatal Grand Highlander And Lexus TX Issue

A few months ago, Toyota faced a backlash with the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX. The two three-row crossovers, primarily made for families, were discovered to have faulty side airbags, leading to the automaker recalling the vehicles, even buying back some from customers. Worse, the automaker didn’t have a solution then, but now Kent Rice, group vice president of Toyota Motor North America’s quality division, has confirmed to Automotive News that a solution is already in place and that production will restart in October.

“We make mistakes, right? It’s a difficult, complex business. But one thing I’m proud of is, despite the fact that this has been painful, that we have customers who are anxious and dealers who can’t sell vehicles because of the airbags, there’s never been any discussion or question of cost,” Rice told the publication.

What’s The Defect?

In June, Toyota recalled 145,000 Grand Highlander and Lexus TX units due to a defect involving the driver’s side curtain shield airbag. If the driver’s window is rolled down during a crash, the airbag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury and raising safety concerns. Both vehicles are popular for their family-friendly three-row layout, making the airbag defect even more alarming. Toyota has issued a stop-sale to address this issue before delivering the units to dealers.

Toyota said that it redesigned the curtain airbags on both driver and passenger sides to address the issue. It will be repairing consumer-owned units first, then those recalled from dealer lots. The automaker reported negative sales figures for both models in August due to the mentioned buybacks, but things should be looking up now that a solution is already in place.

Another Costly Recall And Repair This Year

The recent recall and repair of Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX units is just another costly measure employed by the automaker this year. Earlier, over 100,000 units of the Toyota Tundra and Lexus LX units were rescued by the company due to a manufacturing defect, causing engine knocking on the 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V35A-FTS V6 power plant. Toyota was forced to replace the engines of the affected units, which would cost the company a lot of money. Hopefully not as much as what Ford lost last year, also due to recalls.

Source:
Automotive News