KUALA LUMPUR (June 4): UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWTM), distributor of Toyota and Lexus Vehicles in Malaysia, has supported the Ministry of Transport's move to handle the Takata airbag replacement issue.

On Saturday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke had instructed the Road Transport Department (JPJ) offices not to allow renewal of road tax if a vehicle has not replaced the affected module.

In a statement today, UMWTM assured that notification letters have been sent to owners requesting them to bring their vehicles to authorised service centres for free replacement of the module.

"Safety is our highest priority and we have made every effort to contact owners through various means. We are grateful to the Transport Minister for his concern and will fully support this initiative," said UMWTM president Ravindran K.

UMWTM deputy chairman Akio Takeyama explained that the replacement of the Takata SRS airbag system's inflator module is necessary because of propellant degradation within the module, which can cause the airbag to break up when inflating. This may result in sharp metal pieces being sprayed towards the driver or front passenger, causing serious injuries or even death.

"Since 2013, Toyota Motor Corporation has been actively addressing this issue. The affected vehicles have been identified and distributors worldwide have been informed to initiate Special Service Campaigns. During these campaigns, the airbag inflator modules have been replaced at no charge to the owners," he said, noting that the defect affects millions of vehicles worldwide made over the past 15 years by many different vehicle manufacturers.

"The vehicle range for affected Toyota vehicles are from 2001-2014 and 2007-2016 for affected Lexus vehicles," UMWTM added.

Toyota also has created a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) checker on its website toyota.com.my to allow Toyota owners to check if their vehicles are involved in any special service campaign including the Takata airbag inflator module replacement.

Besides the online checker, Toyota owners can also find out about any other ongoing Special Service Campaigns by calling the Toyota free-phone at 1800-8-TOYOTA (869682).