Atkins Kroll on top of air bag recall

Hours after Toyota Motors recalled over 200,000 vehicles equipped with potentially defective front passenger air bag inflators, the automaker’s local dealership assured owners of affected models of the brand that it’s on top of the recall.

“Dealer information is strictly technical. Rest assured our Atkins Kroll Parts and Service staff are in the process of initiating the campaign for our Guam and CNMI Toyota owners,” said Atkins Kroll Saipan general manager Doug Brennan in an email to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

A 57-year-old mother of three from Dandan said even before the announcement of the recall, Atkins Kroll already replaced her Toyota Corolla front passenger air bag inflators, which are made by Japan’s Takata Corp.

She said she went to Atkins Kroll to have them check a ticking sound on her car and while trying to fix that problem, the auto dealership took care of the defective air bag inflators.

A 45-year-old mother of two from Finasisu, meanwhile, said the recall for the defective part is something Toyota owners just have to deal with. She said safety is a prime concern for her family and that’s why she will immediately bring their Toyota Corolla for the recall fix, probably timing it for the vehicle’s quarterly oil change.

According to Auto World News, Toyota Motors yesterday recalled 247,000 cars, trucks and SUVs in the U.S. that are equipped with potentially defective front passenger air bag inflators.

It said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that the air bags can rupture and spray metal shrapnel.

Auto World News said the latest recall increased to more than 4.5 million the number of vehicles affected by regional recalls launched in June by several automakers due to the allegedly defective part manufactured by Takata.

Vehicles affected by yesterday’s recall includes the Lexus SC coupe, Toyota Corolla small car, Corolla Matrix small car, Sequoia SUV, and Tundra full-size pickup, from model years 2002 through 2005.

According to Auto World News , dealers will be instructed to replace the front passenger airbag inflator with a newly made replacement, free of charge.

Also part of the recall is General Motors’ Pontiac Vibe, which was built by Toyota.

NHTSA said affected vehicles are registered or originally sold in areas of South Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa.