RECALL: Toyota Canada issues ‘do not drive’ warning for 7,300 cars

Toyota Canada Inc. has reissued an urgent “Do not drive” warning for about 7,300 cars as part of a decade-old campaign to remind customers their vehicles may have a defective Takata airbag.

Phillip Crowe, media spokesperson of Toyota Canada, says the recall isn’t new but a repeat of an existing recall for Takata airbags at risk of exploding and hurling shrapnel.

The warning affects the 2003 and 2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix models as well as 2004 and 2005 RAV4s.

Toyota is hoping the advisory reaches people who didn’t respond to their first recall in 2013, later expanded in 2015, Crowe says.

Owners can check on Toyota’s recall website to see if they’re affected, and contact a Toyota dealership to have their cars fixed for free.

Takata airbag malfunctions led to the largest series of auto recalls in history, with about 100 million vehicles affected worldwide.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2024.

The Canadian Press