GR Corolla's Airbags Reportedly Deployed Without an Accident, and Toyota Claims It's Normal | Carscoops

      Toyota has stated that the airbags deployed after the vehicle sensed a potential rollover, and they will not provide assistance to the owner.

      A Toyota GR Corolla owner reported that his airbags activated while he was merely driving down the road. Despite the absence of any external damage, Toyota allegedly asserted that the system functioned correctly. Consequently, they reportedly denied his warranty coverage, leaving him with no options for repair.

      Imagine driving along a familiar route when, unexpectedly, your side curtain airbags deploy. There are no collisions, no unusual potholes, and no warning lights illuminating on the dashboard. Then envision taking the vehicle to the dealership, only to be informed that the system operated as intended and is not under warranty. This is reportedly what transpired for a Toyota GR Corolla owner, who has now sought legal assistance.

      The incident reportedly occurred in May of this year, and it may not be the most shocking aspect that the airbags deployed. The owner purchased the GR Corolla on May 1, and just 23 days later, the airbags went off while he claims to have been driving straight and not hitting anything.

      No Alerts, No Accident, Yet the Airbags Deployed

      The road was one the owner knew well, but the experience was still alarming. "This was one of the scariest moments of my life," the owner recounted on Reddit. "I could not see left or right outside of the car. I could only see in front of me. The car was inspected at the location where I parked by both the fire department and the towing service. They were equally confused."

      The situation became more complex when the first repair shop refused to work on the vehicle. Even though it was a diagnostic repair facility, they "declined to touch it" and advised the owner to return to the dealership. This indicated that they sensed something was amiss. The owner followed their advice, but the outcome was not as expected.

      The Dealership Experience

      According to the owner, the car returned to the dealer in Daytona Beach on May 24 and has remained there since. A Field Technical Specialist from Toyota inspected the vehicle on June 9 and concluded that the system was "operating properly." How could this be the case given the owner's experience? Here’s Toyota's explanation.

      “Please be advised that the airbag system is predictive in nature. Moreover, the side curtain airbags can deploy if the vehicle experiences a marginal tip-up angle by monitoring factors such as roll angle, roll rate, and lateral deceleration. The roll motion detected was interpreted and recorded by the event data recorder (EDR) as a potential rollover, prompting the deployment of the side curtain airbags and seatbelt pretensioners. Our investigation did not uncover any defects in the vehicle."

      From this explanation, it appears that the event data recorder identified a possible rollover even though the driver managed to maintain control. Regardless of the absence of actual damage or the true sequence of events, Toyota's assessment may have essentially ruled out support for this GR Corolla.

      “Based on our inspection findings, we are unable to provide any assistance,” the company stated. Notably, Toyota received permission from the driver to access both the EDR data and images from the car’s cameras. It remains unclear what findings were made at this point, but we have reached out to Toyota for further clarification.

      What Happens Next

      It should be noted that Toyota has faced several issues with side curtain airbags in the past, recalling thousands of vehicles, usually due to concerns that the airbags might fail to deploy. Such cases underscore the potential for electrical malfunctions to cause unexpected behavior. Furthermore, the GR Corolla has previously shown tendencies to overreact to perceived safety threats.

      During initial tests of the vehicle, journalists Jason Fenske and Jason Cammisa reported that the car activated emergency services at one moment after a helmet accidentally struck the B-pillar more forcefully than the system seemed to anticipate.

      This earlier incident also raises a question: if this GR Corolla indeed detected a rollover event, why did it not automatically notify emergency services? Hopefully, Toyota can offer some clarification on this matter. As for the owner, he has engaged legal counsel and is remaining silent for now. Here’s hoping we can all uncover the truth behind this situation.