Toyota suspends deliveries of Grand Highlander, Lexus TX SUVs over air bag issue

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Toyota Motor said on Thursday it has suspended production and delivery of the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX sport utility vehicles until it can address an air bag issue.

The automaker said earlier that it was recalling 145,000 2024 model year Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX vehicles in the United States because the curtain shield airbag on the driver’s side may not deploy as intended during certain crashes if the driver’s window is rolled down.

The automaker said production and deliveries of the three-row SUVs is halted "until a remedy can be determined. An improvement for mass-produced vehicles is currently under study."

Toyota added "the vehicles may not meet a federal safety standard, increasing the risk of injury during certain crashes."

The automaker said customers will be notified about the issue by mid-August but it is not clear when the recall remedy will be announced.

The automaker builds both vehicles at its assembly plant in Princeton, Indiana.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Deepa Babington)