BlackWorksInc
New member
Well to be fair, the wheels don't fall off at 70mph in the Toyota.
My guess is that they have a complex legal team equivalent of "not our fault you want to talk to them" and point you to Takata for that stuff.
Airbag recall??
- Thread starter Wi runner
- Start date
Well to be fair, the wheels don't fall off at 70mph in the Toyota.
My guess is that they have a complex legal team equivalent of "not our fault you want to talk to them" and point you to Takata for that stuff.
Fomer_FJ_owner805
New member
I was on the lot looking at a 16 Trail premium had a bright green sticker on the passenger window that says the air bag will be re-called in 2019.
Good luck with that defense. Takata didn't sell me a car with 5 seats and recommend not using one indefinitely or risk death, with no remedy offered.
My guess is they will just settle for several million.
Frankly, we could probably have a class action suit now for loss of value.
My guess is they will just settle for several million.
Frankly, we could probably have a class action suit now for loss of value.
WRWhit93
New member
Well I guess this explains why the airbag in my '99 didn't go off (neither driver nor passenger) when I was pushed into a jersey barrier at 70mph. Crushed the front end and rolled once. But.. the upside was that the interior was pretty pristine. Someone looking for parts probably got a pretty good deal. And I didn't have a scratch, the car itself was still safe.
WRWhit93
New member
Oh, OK. Haha, I guess it was a good thing they didn't go off then.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Was the airbag light on in your '99? If the SRS warning lamp is on in the vehicle, SRS function is disabled as a safety/failsafe feature. MANY people do not realize their ignorance and cheapness in not repairing their vehicle has made it significantly less safe. Even something as simple as a "Occupant Sensor Calibration" in the passenger seat will set a DTC in the SRS and turn off ALL your airbags and related systems.
Eh, the shrapnel part is a bit overblown from what I've read. The main issue is the destabilization of the ammonium-nitrate propellant they are using and that fact that it creates undesirable issues such as too strong a deployment, too weak, no deployment, pre-mature deployment, ect.
As I mentioned in this thread and another; Takata doesn't seem to be the only one having issues and from some other people/engineers/industry fellows I have chatted over the water cooler about this; the general consensus seems to be that in the next 5~10yrs it might not be surprising to find that Airbags have expiration dates.
One guy told me his old late 90's Camry actually said in the Owner's Manual that all the airbags must be replaced at the 10yr mark.
WRWhit93
New member
[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] SRS light was never on in that Runner. The longest I even let the check engine light stay on was a day or two. No warning lights at all that night. Still miss that '99, ran great, looked great, almost no rust.. Too bad. Only reason I didn't buy it back for parts was a lack of money.
Tell that to the 105 injured and 6 dead. Sure, statistically low occurrence. Then again, statistics don't mean much when you are personally affected.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Not disagreeing with the personal point there, as you mentioned statistics can be rather cold, but snow that the shrapnel concern is less likely than other just as deadly faults.
How did you get a loaner? Toyota told me no loaners. I specifically asked. Toyota, not a dealer.
bamma
New member
In response to the earlier comment that the 5th gens aren't recalled because they are new enough to be safe, or are not faulty is incorrect. The recall is being done in phases based on the bags that are considered more prone to failure (older and cars in higher humidity climates). So the 5th gen bags may be less prone to failure, but are not safe...
I'm curious as to what generation of 4runners have Takata airbags. My understanding is they are all faulty, but the newer ones are less likely to have a problem due to age, so a widespread recall has been avoided so that those airbags that have a higher likelihood of needing to get replaced are done first. From the 16 some odd thousand already replaced and tested, only 450 have had the explosion/metal shard issue. But this is coming from Takata, so take it with a grain of salt.
I also understand that the replacement bags may have the same problem. Evidently Takata knew about this since 2004 and covered it up. Many manufacturers are refusing to use them going forward based on their deception. It may kill their business.
The crazy thing is a safety device is increasing a chance of fatality. I drive a 13 year old vehicle, and the thought that a potential killer explosive device is in my wheel or dash is a scary proposition. Even with low odds, I am considering replacing the bags and/or vehicle. The problem is most vehicles have Takata bags, and based on the way the recall is rolling out, it is very difficult to determine if vehicles that are not currently subject to the recall are safe.
I'm curious as to what generation of 4runners have Takata airbags. My understanding is they are all faulty, but the newer ones are less likely to have a problem due to age, so a widespread recall has been avoided so that those airbags that have a higher likelihood of needing to get replaced are done first. From the 16 some odd thousand already replaced and tested, only 450 have had the explosion/metal shard issue. But this is coming from Takata, so take it with a grain of salt.
I also understand that the replacement bags may have the same problem. Evidently Takata knew about this since 2004 and covered it up. Many manufacturers are refusing to use them going forward based on their deception. It may kill their business.
The crazy thing is a safety device is increasing a chance of fatality. I drive a 13 year old vehicle, and the thought that a potential killer explosive device is in my wheel or dash is a scary proposition. Even with low odds, I am considering replacing the bags and/or vehicle. The problem is most vehicles have Takata bags, and based on the way the recall is rolling out, it is very difficult to determine if vehicles that are not currently subject to the recall are safe.
bamma
New member
Is there a way to tell what Toyota vehicles have Takata airbags?
Thinking about getting a new Tundra, and I'd like to know if it has the same airbags with a delayed fix.
ADK Explorer
New member
Ha, I'm going to keep my full face motorcycle helmet in the truck and hand it to my passengers. They already know I'm a crazy ass driver; they'll willingly put it on. I asked the salesman at Toyota when I signed if there was an airbag issue and he said, not that they knew of. This was back in February. Caveat emptor ! I guess I should've gotten an engineering degree and had the dealership dismantle the vehicle and test every component in front of me !
(Disclaimer: I'm actually a defensive and courteous driver now. I used to be crazy ass.)
(Disclaimer: I'm actually a defensive and courteous driver now. I used to be crazy ass.)
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Not surprisingly, the air bag recall is affecting dealer service, as they are so backlogged with recalled vehicles needing work in addition to all the other vehicles coming in for repairs or maintenance.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Eh, I couldn't tell you to be honest; not like Toyota lets us know until they release a recall notice. Though it seems more to be an issue with airbags in general... I guess in older manuals it even tells you that they should be replaced after 10yrs; that's something someone mentioned to me in passing but honestly I have yet to verify.
Airbag recalls aren't nearly as bad as the Tacoma Leaf Spring stuff... we have literally STACKS of leaf springs and they just keep coming! Half our parts department is just a wall of leaf spring boxes.
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bamma
New member
This is the closest thing I could find regarding Toyota family vehicles:
Lookup Safety Recalls & Service Campaigns by VIN
So all of the 5th gens are being recalled through 2016. I'm assuming the 2017 is OK.
I also assume that all of the 4th gen 4runners are OK, as none of them have been recalled to date, and it would make sense that they would have been, or at least included in the above link as a future recalled vehicle as age seems to be one of the factors...
