Toyota is recalling roughly 145,000 model year 2024 Grand Highlander and Lexus TX SUVs in the U.S. due to a problem with the driver side-curtain airbag, the company announced in a June 20 press release.
The airbag may not deploy as intended if the driver side front window is rolled down, which can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Toyota says it’s currently developing a fix for the problem.
Although side curtain airbags are not required on vehicles sold in the U.S., many automakers offer them as standard equipment in order to meet federal side protection requirements, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Side curtain airbags can also reduce the risk of death in driver-side crashes by 52% in SUVs, according to IIHS data.
The two SUVs are built at Toyota’s assembly plant in Indiana. The new TX is the first Lexus SUV built in the U.S. by Toyota. The automaker announced a $803 million investment in the plant in 2021 to build the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX for the U.S. market. The plant also builds the standard Highlander and Sienna minivan.
Toyota said it will notify customers about the issue by the middle of August as it works to develop a remedy for the airbag fault.
The recall of the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX is Toyota’s second this month. The automaker also recalled up to 13,077 model year 2023 Toyota Crown vehicles to fix an issue where the rear-view or front-view camera images may fail to appear on the display or become distorted.
Toyota cited insufficient laser welding of the camera housing which could cause water to enter and lead to a short circuit, according to a June 14 recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
