Lexus has issued a recall for 509 units of its LS 500 luxury sedan from model years 2018-2021 and LS 500h hybrid from model years 2018-2020 because their passenger side front airbags may not deploy in an accident. The recall applies only to versions of the flagship sedan equipped with the Executive Package. If your car’s rear seats recline, you have the Executive Package.
Today’s cars have sensors that detect whether the front passenger seat is occupied and activate its airbags only if needed.
On these cars, Lexus tells federal safety officials, the front passenger seat is mounted on a long rail, allowing a rear-seat passenger to move it forward to make room for a rear-seat footrest. The occupant sensor in those seats may not function correctly, Lexus says. It can fail to detect an occupant, leaving the airbag deactivated when it is needed.
Dealers will correct the problem by adjusting the stopper for the slide rail and re-calibrating sensors. Recall repairs are always free.
Automakers recall many cars to fix safety defects, sometimes more than once. While automakers try to reach every owner to ask them to bring the vehicle in for repair, they rarely reach them all. Millions of vehicles on American roads need free recall repairs. To find out if your car is one of them, check the easy VIN tool at our recall center.
