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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityBusinessMarket DataEconomyYour MoneyCompaniesTechnology of BusinessCEO SecretsArtificial IntelligenceToyota recalls 50,000 US vehicles over airbag ‘injury or death’ fearsPublished10 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Mariko OiBusiness reporterToyota has urged owners of 50,000 older vehicles in the US to get immediate repairs as airbag inflators made by Takata could explode and kill them.The “Do Not Drive” advisory covers some of the world’s biggest carmaker’s models from 2003 to 2005.Since 2009, more than 30 deaths have been linked to air bag inflators produced by Takata.Toyota says “if the airbag deploys, a part inside is more likely to explode and shoot sharp metal fragments”.The vehicles involved are the 2003-2004 model Corolla, 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix, and 2004-2005 RAV4.Serious issues with Takata airbag inflators have resulted in the biggest motor industry safety recall in history, involving more than 100 million products and over 20 carmakers.After more than a decade and a half of recalls, lawsuits and a criminal investigation in the US, Takata filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Its assets were sold to Chinese-owned Key Safety Systems, for about $1.6bn (£1.3bn).Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Koji Sato, president of Toyota Motor, apologised at a news conference in JanuaryThis is not the only issue Toyota has been dealing with in recent months.This week, the Japanese car giant suspended shipments of some vehicles because of irregularities in certification tests for diesel engines, which were developed by Toyota Industries.An investigation found that Toyota Industries employees manipulated horsepower output tests.The affected engines are used in 10 models sold globally, including the Hiace van and Land Cruiser sport utility vehicle, Toyota said.Toyota is also seeking to resolve a case of misconduct at small car specialist Daihatsu, after it admitted falsifying safety tests dating back more than three decades.Late last year, Daihatsu headquarters were raided by Japan’s transport ministry and global shipments of the vehicles were suspended. The government has since revoked certification of three Daihatsu models. When asked this week about the scandals at Toyota’s subsidiaries, president Koji Sato acknowledged that workers had felt pressure to cut corners in an intensely competitive industry.”We recognise that not only people at the testing site but also management did not have proper understanding of certification,” he said.Separately on Tuesday, Toyota said it sold a record 11.2 million vehicles in 2023, cementing its position as the world’s top selling carmaker for a fourth year in a row.Its nearest rival, Germany’s Volkswagen, sold 9.2 million vehicles last year.Related TopicsProduct recallsToyotaMore on this storyDaihatsu pauses production over safety scandalPublished26 December 2023Takata reaches airbag settlement in USPublished23 February 2018Airbag-maker Takata files for bankruptcyPublished26 June 2017Top StoriesDUP agree to end boycott of Northern Ireland government Published3 hours agoThree US soldiers killed in Jordan attack namedPublished5 hours ago’Tidal wave’ of sex abuse in music industry, MPs toldPublished5 hours agoFeaturesLily Gladstone: The actress who could make Oscars historyNothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaGuardiola, Mourinho and the game that changed everythingAttributionSportCounting the destruction of religious sites in GazaSecret calls and code names: How money makes it to N KoreaWhy India wants to fence its troubled Myanmar border’We’re the country of beef, but we can only afford chicken’Death in the Channel – what led a boy to make fatal journey?’Toy poodles’ on the Moon: Japan lander gets to workElsewhere on the BBC’If I can’t live with you, I don’t want to live anyway’The Hungarian footballer executed for loveAttributionSounds’You don’t think your partner is an undercover cop…’The shocking true story of an undercover ‘spycop’ who infiltrated a climate activist groupAttributionSoundsWhat is the ‘Axis of Resistance’ and how is Iran involved?Amid growing tensions in the Middle East, The Inquiry investigates Iran’s positionAttributionSoundsWhat was the Beer Hall Putsch?Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interrogate the past to de-tangle the presentAttributionSoundsMost Read1Minister quit as he ‘couldn’t afford mortgage’2Woman injured in Sydney Harbour shark attack3Musk announces wireless brain chip implant4’Women sit next to abusers at music industry parties’5Man Utd say Rashford ‘taken responsibility for actions’AttributionSport6DUP executive members endorse devolution deal7Lily Gladstone: The actress who could make Oscars history8Three US soldiers killed in Jordan attack named9News outlet’s doctored MP photo causes sexism fury10US weapons sales abroad hit record high in 2023