Toyota joined the list of automakers recalling vehicles equipped with a faulty airbag system created by a company called Takata that has resulted in the deaths of 23 people and injured hundreds more worldwide.

According to the recall information on the Toyota website, the issue is a result of the type of propellent used in the airbag's inflator called "phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate." This chemical has been shown to degrade over time, and can be affected by higher temperatures and humidity resulting in the inflator exploding and sending fragments of metal into the vehicle's cabin.

Toyota provided a short video illustrating how the explosion can happen.

The company says the recall impacts a large range of Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles between the years of 2003 and 2013. They have been rolling out repairs in phases since February 2017.

To find out if your vehicle is on the list, simply visit the company's recall website and enter your vehicle's VIN or license plate number, or the state you live in along with the make, model, and year of your vehicle to see if it's affected. If it is (like my 2013 Sienna minivan), a message below the "Check Recall Status" button will pop up explaining when the recall is expected to be announced for your vehicle, and that the company will contact you with information on the recall. For example, the recall on my van was just issued this month.

As previously mentioned, Toyota is not the only company affected. 19 manufacturers total have vehicles equipped with the Takata Airbag System, including Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet, BMW, and more. Visit AirBagRecall.com for the complete list of vehicles affected.

[Source: Toyota]

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