Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 2009-2015 Venza crossovers. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) wiring may become damaged with regular use of the driver-side door. This can prevent the side airbag and curtain shield airbag on the driver side from deploying in collisions, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The Venza models are equipped with an airbag sensor installed in the driver- side front door. The sensor is connected to the Supplemental Restraint System Electronic Control Unit by a pair of twisted wires in a Yazaki North America supplied harness routed from the door to the vehicle body through a grommet. Because of a larger difference between the wire harness length and grommet length, there is a tighter bending radius for the wire harness inside the grommet.
If the SRS wires also are in certain locations within the wire harness, this could cause them to rub against the grommet. If the twisted pair of SRS wires also happen to overlap at the location where they rub against the grommet so as to concentrate stress on one wire, this can lead to that wire fracturing over time, depending on the use frequency of the driver door.
When an SRS wire fractures, this could result in a DTC being set, the SRS warning lamp being illuminated, and the airbag sensor in the driver-side front door becoming inoperable. This may prevent the side airbag and curtain shield airbag on the driver side from deploying in collisions, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of those airbags.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-side front door wire harness, free of charge as is required by US law. The recall is expected to begin May 31, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota’s number for this recall is 21TB01/21TA01. Owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Toyota Recalls 280,000 Venza Models for Defective Side Airbags
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 2009-2015 Venza crossovers. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) wiring may become damaged with regular use of the driver-side door. This can prevent the side airbag and curtain shield airbag on the driver side from deploying in collisions, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The Venza models are equipped with an airbag sensor installed in the driver- side front door. The sensor is connected to the Supplemental Restraint System Electronic Control Unit by a pair of twisted wires in a Yazaki North America supplied harness routed from the door to the vehicle body through a grommet. Because of a larger difference between the wire harness length and grommet length, there is a tighter bending radius for the wire harness inside the grommet.
If the SRS wires also are in certain locations within the wire harness, this could cause them to rub against the grommet. If the twisted pair of SRS wires also happen to overlap at the location where they rub against the grommet so as to concentrate stress on one wire, this can lead to that wire fracturing over time, depending on the use frequency of the driver door.
When an SRS wire fractures, this could result in a DTC being set, the SRS warning lamp being illuminated, and the airbag sensor in the driver-side front door becoming inoperable. This may prevent the side airbag and curtain shield airbag on the driver side from deploying in collisions, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of those airbags.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-side front door wire harness, free of charge as is required by US law. The recall is expected to begin May 31, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota’s number for this recall is 21TB01/21TA01. Owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.