Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) is recalling more than 8,000 locally-assembled Corolla units to check and replace the airbag inflator module of the front passenger airbag.

The vehicle was produced from July 24, 2008, to December 31, 2009.

According to Toyota’s global announcement, the vehicles are equipped with front passenger air bag inflators (Takata-designated), which contain a non-desiccated, phase-stabilised ammonium nitrate propellant.

According to Takata’s reports, a defect related to motor vehicle safety may arise in the inflators due to propellant degradation occurring after prolonged exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures and high temperature cycling. Activation of a non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflator with a degraded propellant may result in an inflator rupture. An inflator rupture may cause metal fragments to pass through the air bag and into the interior of the vehicle at a high speed, which may result in injury or death to the vehicle occupants.

TMV will check and replace the airbag inflator module of the front passenger airbag in affected vehicles at zero cost. The total time of checking and replacing is expected to take some one to three hours and will be carried out at the Toyota dealership network nationwide.

The front driver airbags supplied by another supplier (not Takata company) will not be involved in this programme.

In order to conduct the campaign successfully, TMV dealers will send an invitation letter and/or invitation call about the programme to the vehicle owners on their list.

For Corolla units not officially distributed by TMV, if they receive a request from customers, TMV will contact Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) to confirm the information. Once TMV gets an official approval from TMC, they will replace the airbag inflator module following standard procedures of the campaign, again at zero cost. — VNS