2016 4Runner getting recalled for Takata airbags...

This has not been the Toyota experience I expected.

Why? Because you got a recall?

Auto manufacturers buy components from tons of different companies, and they expect the quality of those components to be up to their standards. But sometimes that doesn't happen. It's just part of manufacturing.

Unfortunately this products defect can hurt people. But you can't hold Toyota responsible. I mean just look at how many other manufacturers used Takata airbags too. You could have been saying the same thing if you bought a Honda, or a Subaru, etc.
 
Air bag replacement notice

I just got my Notice to schedule the air bag replacement at my local dealer. The notice says it should take about 1-1/2hrs. I will keep you informed of the progress.
 
Why? Because you got a recall?

Auto manufacturers buy components from tons of different companies, and they expect the quality of those components to be up to their standards. But sometimes that doesn't happen. It's just part of manufacturing.

Unfortunately this products defect can hurt people. But you can't hold Toyota responsible. I mean just look at how many other manufacturers used Takata airbags too. You could have been saying the same thing if you bought a Honda, or a Subaru, etc.

Because Toyota is NOT replacing existing units before it sells new ones.

Yes - I absolutely can hold Toyota responsible. Just because other companies also used a similar product doesn't mean that Toyota isn't responsible for defective products. Toyota is not doing a very good job of replacing them in a timely manner. The airbags were identified as defective in lab testing in 1999 by Honda. Toyota had one rupture in the same way in its own testing in 2003 - but still chose to use them for cost reasons even though they had "large quality concerns" and categorized Takata's quality performance as "unacceptable".

Long story short: Honda, Ford, Toyota; they all knew about it. And they were still chosen because they are cheaper than other competitor products.
 
I finally got mine replaced the other day. It was quick and easy once they got the part. Could not even tell they were in there.... Finally... passengers again without any "I've got to tell you.. nobody is technically suppose to ride in the front seat, so at your own risk...." speech.
 
I finally got mine replaced the other day. It was quick and easy once they got the part. Could not even tell they were in there.... Finally... passengers again without any "I've got to tell you.. nobody is technically suppose to ride in the front seat, so at your own risk...." speech.

define quick and easy please? 2hr? more? less?
 
I finally got mine replaced the other day. It was quick and easy once they got the part. Could not even tell they were in there.... Finally... passengers again without any "I've got to tell you.. nobody is technically suppose to ride in the front seat, so at your own risk...." speech.

Do you happen to know which zone they considered your vehicle to be designated as? I also have a 2011 and tried to get the airbag replaced but Toyota wasn't having it since my car has spent most of its life in Montana and is apparently in one of the least risk areas.
 
Because Toyota is NOT replacing existing units before it sells new ones.

Yes - I absolutely can hold Toyota responsible. Just because other companies also used a similar product doesn't mean that Toyota isn't responsible for defective products. Toyota is not doing a very good job of replacing them in a timely manner. The airbags were identified as defective in lab testing in 1999 by Honda. Toyota had one rupture in the same way in its own testing in 2003 - but still chose to use them for cost reasons even though they had "large quality concerns" and categorized Takata's quality performance as "unacceptable".

Long story short: Honda, Ford, Toyota; they all knew about it. And they were still chosen because they are cheaper than other competitor products.
So, you effectively want Toyota to not sell any new vehicles for anywhere from 1 to 5 years while they replace airbags on the older ones? That's what would have to happen, given the number of defective inflators Takata provided, and would likely result in the end of Toyota as a going concern.

Keep in mind that switching providers on something like an airbag can't be done overnight, unless there's a drop in replacement the same size and shape that also works with the electronics and electrical connection. There's also the fact that Takata and 3 other firms had 81%of the airbag market in 2014, and there's very little slack in capacity, especially when 50 million plus cars are affected by the recalls.
 
So, you effectively want Toyota to not sell any new vehicles for anywhere from 1 to 5 years while they replace airbags on the older ones? That's what would have to happen, given the number of defective inflators Takata provided, and would likely result in the end of Toyota as a going concern.

Keep in mind that switching providers on something like an airbag can't be done overnight, unless there's a drop in replacement the same size and shape that also works with the electronics and electrical connection. There's also the fact that Takata and 3 other firms had 81%of the airbag market in 2014, and there's very little slack in capacity, especially when 50 million plus cars are affected by the recalls.

What you don't understand is that many of us went almost 2 years without being able to have passenger in the front seat (according to Toyota) Some got rentals some did not.. It was a total confusing mess. All this time, new trucks were being sold with the revised airbag.

It is a staged recall (based on exposure), which makes perfect sense. So they may have had to slow production slightly.. but they could have easily kept selling and replaced the bags on the few trucks that were considered to be in the red zone.

It was a bit of a fumble by Toyota IMHO, but they are now replacing airbags.. so at least they are now taking care of existing customers and running the program as it should have from the beginning. It was just very frustrating for some of us as nobody (dealers...) had specific information on how long we would be without a fully functioning truck. You could not get a straight answer out of anyone for a while. I'm sure you would not have been happy either.
 
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Do you happen to know which zone they considered your vehicle to be designated as? I also have a 2011 and tried to get the airbag replaced but Toyota wasn't having it since my car has spent most of its life in Montana and is apparently in one of the least risk areas.

I was in Zone A. Your zone is not under active recall yet. It is very much dependent on exposure to heat and humidity.
 
I tried to read some of the posts in this thread. Some at the start, some at the end.

There is a lot of misinformation out there in the world concerning Takata airbags.

First off, this is not a Toyota-only problem. There are few manufacturers that have not been affected. When I bought my new Mercedes in March the dealer told me flat out they had millions in inventory sitting in warehouses they can't/won't sell because they have Takata airbags. They also disclosed and put in writing my new car does not have Takata airbags or actuators.

Many, many dealers are not doing that. There are millions of vehicles on the market that are affected and unless you pull a CarFax or a recall report (which EVERYBODY should be doing) you would never know.

Experts say there will likely be millions of vehicles that are never fixed because they are sold on the used market and the new buyer(s) have no clue.

Second, Takata filed for bankruptcy in June. It's airbag division was snagged up for a song by a Chinese company. Do with that what you may.

Point being, this issue is global in perspective and it's overall impact is huge.

Here is a good primer if you are interested:

Takata, brought down by airbag crisis, files for bankruptcy - Jun. 25, 2017
 
So, you effectively want Toyota to not sell any new vehicles for anywhere from 1 to 5 years while they replace airbags on the older ones? That's what would have to happen, given the number of defective inflators Takata provided, and would likely result in the end of Toyota as a going concern.

Keep in mind that switching providers on something like an airbag can't be done overnight, unless there's a drop in replacement the same size and shape that also works with the electronics and electrical connection. There's also the fact that Takata and 3 other firms had 81%of the airbag market in 2014, and there's very little slack in capacity, especially when 50 million plus cars are affected by the recalls.

Yes. Abso****inglutly. Toyota knew about this a decade ago and continued to install them to save money. Other manufacturers have replaced them at much higher rates. Toyota is doing a really poor job of doing so. If it were banned from selling new models until all existing models were fixed. It would take, maybe one month to get them all swapped out. I guarantee they'd find a way to make it happen ASAP.

I would be more sympathetic if this wasn't a known defect for 15 years that kept being installed. You can make excuses. I would make Toyota fix it.
 
I got that in the mail yesterday. It was kinda hard to figure out what it amounted to.

4 Car Companies Settle Takata Airbag Lawsuit For $553 Million : The Two-Way : NPR

Based on that ^^ it sounds like the compensation "varies" based on some formula.

So I had a 2010 which had bad takata bag inflators and as of Dec last year I have a 2016 which also seems to be affected. I got the class action letter a couple weeks ago but I was looking online and I don't know how to answer the questions like "Do you still have the vehicle or did you sell it?". I don't know which one they are contacting me in regard to. Should I just sign up for the 16 runner?
 
Just had my 2011 remedied on this past Friday, but also traded it in the same day on a 2014. So... looks like I'll be going through this again in a couple years, or if they remedy the part sooner.
 
What you don't understand is that many of us went almost 2 years without being able to have passenger in the front seat (according to Toyota) Some got rentals some did not.. It was a total confusing mess. All this time, new trucks were being sold with the revised airbag.

It is a staged recall (based on exposure), which makes perfect sense. So they may have had to slow production slightly.. but they could have easily kept selling and replaced the bags on the few trucks that were considered to be in the red zone.

It was a bit of a fumble by Toyota IMHO, but they are now replacing airbags.. so at least they are now taking care of existing customers and running the program as it should have from the beginning. It was just very frustrating for some of us as nobody (dealers...) had specific information on how long we would be without a fully functioning truck. You could not get a straight answer out of anyone for a while. I'm sure you would not have been happy either.
I have a 2010 Trail so I was affected. I just didn't think the risk was high enough to worry about injury to a front seat passenger. The "don't let anyone sit in the front passenger seat" notice was a comprehensive attempt to minimize liability for injuries. The actual incidence of injuries was vanishingly small, so I didn't worry about it on the few occasions when someone rode in the front passenger seat
 

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