Defective Curtain Shield Airbags Cause Toyota Prius, Lexus CT Recall

Toyota Motor Sales is conducting a safety campaign concerning certain units of the Prius, Prius PHEV and Lexus CT 200h, which are equipped with curtain shield airbags (CSA) in the driver and passenger side roof rails.

The affected vehicles have airbag inflators that are composed of two chambers welded together. According to the manufacturer, some of them could have a small crack in the weld area joining the chambers that could become larger with time and lead to separation of the inflator chambers. This has been observed in cars parked and unoccupied for a long time.

“If an inflator separates, the CSA could partially inflate, and, in limited circumstances, one or both sections of the inflator could enter the interior of the vehicle“, Toyota wrote, highlighting that “if an occupant is present in the vehicle, there is an increased risk of injury“.

The recall affects approximately 482,000 units of the 2010-2012 Toyota Prius, 2010-2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid and 2011-2012 Lexus CT 200h. Owners will be notified by first class mail and the manufacturer’s dealers will install retention brackets on the curtain shield airbag, at no cost, which are designed to “prevent the inflator chambers from entering the vehicle interior if separation occurs”. The automaker has yet to provide a notification schedule, but owners can contact Toyota’s Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus‘ Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987 for any additional questions.