WASHINGTON - Toyota (IW 1000/8) said Thursday it was recalling 885,000 vehicles worldwide to fix a problem with air conditioning equipment that could cause a leak that could affect air bags.
Toyota said the recall was for model years 2012 and 2013 of its Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid and Venza vehicles.
The bulk of the recalled vehicles are in the United States -- 803,000 -- while 15,000 are in the Middle East and 1,600 in Europe.
The problem is with the air conditioning condenser unit housing in the vehicles, the Japanese automaker said in a statement.
Water from the housing could leak onto the airbag control module and cause a short circuit, resulting in illumination of the airbag warning light and, in some instances, the air bag "could become disabled or could inadvertently deploy."
Toyota also said there was also a chance the power steering assist function could become inoperable if a communication line in the airbag control module were damaged.
The company said its dealers will apply sealant and install a cover to the air conditioning condenser unit housing seam on the recalled vehicles.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013
