Toyota already recalls 2019 Avalon for airbag problems
The recall also includes the 2018-2019 Tundra and Sequoia.
It's not exactly the best look when an automaker has to recall a brand-new vehicle, but hey, sometimes these things happen. That's the case with Toyota and its 2019 Avalon .
Toyota has issued a recall for 168,000 vehicles in the US, including the 2019 Avalon and the 2018-2019 Tundra and Sequoia . This is a completely separate recall from the hybrid recall that Toyota also announced today, but altogether, the company has issued recalls for nearly 1 million US vehicles in a single day.
This recall focuses on the airbags. Wonky programming in the airbag's control unit could end up disabling multiple sensors that are used to detect crashes. If that happens, certain airbags like the side curtain or knee airbags might not deploy in a crash. Obviously, that greatly increases the chance of injury in a collision and means the cars might not conform to various airbag-related regulations.
While it's a different recall than the hybrid recall also announced today, the two recalls share a similar remedy. Dealership technicians will apply a software patch that alters the airbag control unit's programming, which should prevent the issue from happening again.
As required by law of all recalls, Toyota will notify affected owners via first-class mail. The automaker said in a press release that owners should start to receive notifications about the recall in late October. Updating ECU software doesn't take long, maybe an hour or two at most, so it shouldn't inconvenience owners too badly.
