Toyota has announced a recall of approximately 49,000 vehicles sold under the Toyota and Lexus brands due to problems with the airbag system. As Consumer Reports and Toyota have reported, the problem appears to result from an "open circuit" condition that may prevent side, curtain shield, and front airbags from deploying in a crash. The problem is electrical and appears to be separate from other recalls involving defective inflators in airbags manufactured by Takata. The affected vehicles are:

• 2016 Prius and Lexus RX vehicles
• 2015 and 2016 Lexis NX vehicles

It is not clear whether all such vehicles are affected. Customers can check the NTSB web site recall page to enter their VIN and determine if this, or other, recalls apply to their vehicles.