USA - Toyota Avalon Recalled for Faulty Airbags

The 2003-2004 Toyota Avalon is being recalled to fix faulty front airbags and seatbelt pretensioners. In Avalon models built from June 5, 2002 through December 20, 2004, internal shorting can cause the electronics to malfunction, leading to airbags deploying or seatbelt pretensioners activating without warning. In either case, it can cause an accident or other on-road safety hazards.

The recall affects 119,140 vehicles in the U.S.

Toyota's remedy is to install a "noise filter" between the airbag control module and the car's wiring harness, helping keep the flow of electricity current steady so that wiring shorts do not occur. Toyota has not yet set a schedule for which it will notify owners to fix their cars--free of charge.

But owners of such cars can contact Toyota at (800) 331-4331, or they can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at (888) 327-4236, referencing campaign number 14V147000.