Toyota Recall: Malaysia Not Affected

Malaysian Toyota owners need not worry about a recent recall by the Toyota Motor Corporation, regarding the recall of some 3.4 million Toyota vehicles for a defective Electronic Control Unit (ECU).

According to CNN Business, the affected vehicles – mostly from North America, Central America, and South America – include the Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Avalon, and Avalon HV models that were produced between 2010 and 2019.

The recall involves a defective ECU, which controls the deployment of the airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners which reduce the severity of injury in an accident. These defective ECUs are affected by certain electrical noises/interferences that distort various sensor readings, which will in turn cause the incomplete/non-deployment of the aforementioned safety systems.

Toyota US hopes to contact all owners of affected vehicles by Mid-March; owners will be required to take their cars to an authorised service centre where affected vehicles will be fitted with a noise mitigation component to filter out bad ECU commands.

Closer to home, UMW Toyota has told us that cars sold locally will not be affected by this recall and remain safe to drive. However, if there are any updates in the future, UMW Toyota will take necessary measures to inform and rectify affected vehicles.