2008 Toyota Matrix

Issue: 
This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. 

On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. 

Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: 

C014003034                         PK5A408J09                         PU14000904 
C014003151                         PK5A408J13                         PU14000905 
C014000885                         PK5A489J11                         PU14000907 
C014000888                         PK5A489J22                         PU14000909 
C014000907                         PK5A410H00                        PU14000911 
C014100904                         PU14000900                         PU14000913 
C014100907                         PU14000901                         PU14003571 
C014100911                         PU14000902                         PK5A489J14 
PK5A408J05                        PU14000903 

Safety Risk: 
Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. 

Corrective Actions: 
Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.

Issue: 
On certain cars, the passenger-front airbag that was installed during prior recall repair must be replaced. The airbag may not unfold properly when it deploys. This could cause the airbag to tear or not inflate properly in a crash.
 
Safety Risk: 
An airbag that does not work properly could create an increased risk of injury in a crash.
 
Corrective Actions: 
Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the passenger-front airbag assembly.

On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propellant contained in the passenger frontal airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. As a result, if the vehicle were involved in a collision that warrants airbag deployment, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants, and the airbag assembly could be damaged, preventing proper function. These issues could increase the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag assembly. 

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Note: Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. The recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk, and is expected to replace airbag inflators before their function would be affected. Matrix model vehicles may have had the original front passenger airbag inflator replaced as a “like-for-like” replacement under a previous recall as a temporary remedy while evaluating a permanent remedy. These vehicles will receive the permanent remedy passenger airbag assembly under this recall.

On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inflator to rupture, which could allow fragments to be propelled toward vehicle occupants, increasing the risk of injury. This could also damage the airbag module, which could prevent proper deployment. Failure of the passenger airbag to fully deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 2013113, 2014224, 2015197 and 2015269.  Correction: All vehicles having not received a replacement inflator as part of the previous recall will now have a replacement inflator installed by dealers. For Matrix model vehicles, dealers may replace the front passenger airbag assembly with one equipped with a newly specified inflator.

On certain vehicles equipped with a 1ZZ-FE engine and a two-wheel drive transmission, the Engine Control Module (ECM) may have been improperly manufactured.  There is a possibility that a crack may develop at certain solder points or on varistors on the circuit board.  In most cases, if a crack occurs at certain points or on certain varistors, the engine warning lamp could be illuminated, harsh shifting could result, or the engine may not start.  In limited instances, if cracking occurs on particular solder points or varistors, the engine could stop while the vehicle is being driven, increasing the risk of a crash causing personal injury.  Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the ECM.