Toyota joins Honda and Nissan in recall over defective airbags

Toyota, Honda and Nissan recalled at least 3 million vehicles worldwide for defects in airbags made by Takata Corp.

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Toyota, Honda and Nissan recalled at least 3 million vehicles worldwide for defects in airbags made by Takata Corp.

Toyota recalled 1.73 million vehicles and Honda about 1.14 million units worldwide, while Nissan said it called back a more than 137,000 units in Japan, according to the carmakers.

According to Toyota, a malfunctioning inflator could inadvertently deploy the front-seat airbags or activate the automatic seat belt restraints.

Takata produced the potentially defective airbag inflators from 2000 to 2002, spokesman Hideyuki Matsumoto said, declining to identify the company's customers.

Toyota spokesman Shino Yamada said that five incidents of malfunctions have been reported, though there were no accidents or injuries. The vehicles affected include the Corolla and Camry, and were built between November 2000 and March 2004, she said.

For Toyota, the world's largest automaker, it's the second time this year that the company has has announced a recall involving more than 1 million vehicles. Last year, Toyota announced a recall involving 7.43 million units in October, followed by one involving 2.77 million vehicles the next month.

* Bloomberg News