Toyota is recalling roughly 1 million cars in the U.S. because the front passenger air bags may not deploy properly in a crash, posing additional risk of injury to riders, the car maker said.

A potential defect in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat of affected vehicles could cause a short circuit, Toyota said in a notice posted on its website. As a result, the air bag system may not properly detect the passenger’s presence and weight, and fail to deploy as designed.

List of vehicles impacted by the Toyota recall. The recall affects the following 2020-2022 Toyota and Lexus models and years:

Toyota

  • Avalon, Avalon Hybrid — 2020-2021
  • Camry, Camry Hybrid — 2020-2021
  • Corolla — 2020-2021
  • Highlander, Highlander Hybrid — 2020-2021
  • RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid — 2020-2021
  • Sienna Hybrid — 2021

Lexus

  • ES250 — 2021
  • ES300H — 2020-2022
  • ES350 — 2020-2021
  • RX350 — 2020-2021
  • RX450H — 2020-2021

As a remedy, Toyota and Lexus dealers will inspect affected vehicles for free and replace OCS sensors if necessary at no cost to vehicle owners, the recall notice states. Toyota said it will notify owners of all vehicles involved in the recall by the middle of February 2024.

Although manufacturers can make every effort to notify affected customers about recalls, it’s not always possible. So, if you want to check if your car has an active recall, sometimes you need to do it yourself. Checking for a new or old recalls on your vehicle is easier than you think. Enter your vehicles VIN number at NHTSA Recall Site or checktoprotect.org to see if your vehicle has a open recall.

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