Toyota airbag recall still ongoing

Customers of Atkins Kroll Inc. are being reminded that the Toyota airbag recall is still ongoing, and that all car owners are being encouraged to have their vehicles checked at AK Saipan.

Toyota is doing a recall of its cars due to the potentially deadly Takata front passenger airbag inflators that pose the risk of exploding shrapnel from its airbags. A total of 1.7 million Toyota vehicles were recalled in the North American market last month.

Toyota has, in fact, been advertising heavily to inform all of its customers about the recall, said Ernie A. Galito, AK marketing and communication director. “If you own one [Toyota vehicle] from 2003 to 2008, bring it in for the Takata airbag repair and we will give you an oil change for free.”

He added that AK Toyota CNMI and Guam has lost contact with some of the original owners because of the transfer of ownership, that’s why they are advertising the recall to inform all owners.

“A lot of the [owners of cars] on the road today are not the original ones. People go off island, they sell [the car] to their friends, or they give it to their relatives, so we don’t have the original owners in our database anymore,” said Galito.

“That’s why we advertise for the people to come and see us. We get them in our database and if something comes up that may apply to the safety of their vehicles then we can contact them or we can introduce them to the new car models. like the new 2020 Toyota Corolla.”

Galito said that Saipan has the highest incidents, in terms of percentage, of recall repairs anywhere in the world. “The reason is we are in a smaller community. We were able to get all the people to come in and get their repairs.”

Galito added that Super Typhoon Yutu has damaged a lot of vehicles with some interior of the cars being drenched by rainwater. “You can clean your car but the mold, sometimes, you can’t get that smell out.”

“The car may be fine mechanically but you don’t want your children or yourself to get sick. So, sometimes, people just try to get a new car [replacement].”

Galito is also inviting their customers to test drive the 2020 Corolla, the 12th generation of one of the world’s best-selling sedans, and experience firsthand its safety features—blind spot monitoring, pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steer assist, lane tracing assist, automatic high beams, and road sign assist.

“The idea is to keep the driver and passenger safe; it alleviates the fear of driving or running over somebody. Customers who will test drive the 2020 Corolla will get the chance to review the car, examine how the ride was in terms of visibility, quietness of the cabin, and leg room.”