Toyota Corolla

2024

51 thousand Toyota hybrid cars revealed defective software, due to which the brakes do not work well

On September 20, 2024, Toyota Motor announced the recall of Corolla Cross Hybrid hybrid cars due to a brake system malfunction. The identified problem can provoke the risk of a traffic accident.

The defect affects Corolla Cross Hybrid crossovers manufactured from June 2022 to September 2024. It is said that in certain situations during braking when turning, the brake amplifier may not work correctly. In this case, the driver can feel the hard pedal, while the braking efficiency will decrease. In theory, this could cause an accident.

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Toyota

The loss of the brake booster can increase the distance required to stop the car, which increases the risk of a traffic accident, the report said.

The problem is related software to the electronic control unit. In total, about 51 thousand hybrid cars fall under the recall. In particular, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (USA NHTSA) reported that approximately 42 thousand Corolla Cross Hybrid crossovers were recalled on the American market. On all these machines, dealers will install an updated version in software which the problem is fixed. The work will be carried out free of charge for owners. As of September 30, 2024, there are no reports of injuries and/or accidents associated with the specified defect.

It is noted that the recall applies to cars with brake drives of the German company Bosch. Toyota uses such components with similar software on other cars. The Japanese company has initiated an inspection of all these vehicles for a similar error: if it is detected, Toyota can announce additional recall programs.^[1]

Recall of defective cars due to metal-shooting airbags

On January 29, 2024, Toyota and General Motors initiated a large-scale recall program for cars of various models. The problem is related to defective airbags, which can explode, hitting people in the vehicle with sharp metal fragments. This can cause serious injury or even death to the driver and/or passengers.

The defect affects older Toyota Corolla cars and Matrix hatchbacks of 2003 and 2004 model years, as well as RAV4 crossovers of the 2004 and 2005 models. In addition, the 2003 and 2004 Pontiac Vibe models are subject to recall - this is actually a version of the Matrix offered under a different brand. In total, the problem covers approximately 61 thousand of these machines.

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Toyota

Defective airbags are made by the Japanese company Takata. In them, ammonium nitrate is used to pump air. It has been found that this chemical compound can burn too actively if the car is operated at high temperatures or high humidity. As a result, when the pillow is triggered, a metal container containing ammonium nitrate explodes, and fragments can cripple or kill people in the car.

It is noted that from May 2009 until the beginning of 2024, due to explosions of Takata airbags, at least 30 people died worldwide, including the United States, Malaysia and Australia. Another 400 people received injuries of varying severity. Takata's defective products have led to the largest series of car recalls in history, with tens of millions of vehicles affected by such campaigns around the world. Defective pillows were equipped with cars Honda, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Daimler Vans, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, etc. For Takata, these reviews turned into bankruptcy.^[2]

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