Toyota Electrical & Airbag Problems

Toyota will be contacting the owners of certain 2016-2018 Prius vehicles regarding a problem affecting the wire harness connected at the hybrid Power Control Unit (PCU). Due to an assembly variation, a portion of the wire harness could contact the PCU cover and damage the wire insulation. Exposed wires could short and generate enough heat to cause an electrical fire. Dealers will inspect the engine wire harness assembly and replace it if damage is found. A protective sleeve will be installed to prevent future damage.

Toyota will also be sending recall notices to owners of certain 2012 Avalon cars. The affected vehicles are equipped with front seat belt inner buckles which use a hall effect switch to determine if the seat belt is buckled or unbuckled. Due to a manufacturing error at the supplier, some vehicles may have had a front seat belt inner buckle replaced during a repair with a service part that does not contain the magnet. In this condition, the SRS system will think the seat belt is always buckled and may not use the appropriate airbag deployment logic. Dealers will test the seat belt assembly to verify that it is properly detecting, replacing the seat belt assembly as necessary.

For more information about these Toyota recalls, owners can contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.