Toyota is recalling 60,000 Avalon and Camry sedans in North America because their front passenger air bags may not deploy in a crash. Hyundai is recalling 173,000 Sonata sedans in the United States for power steering failure, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A recall is in effect for the BMW 7 Series, after supplier Continental AG informed the German automaker that a manufacturing defect could cause the luxury sedan’s airbag control module to fail. Toyota’s involves Avalons and Camrys from the 2016 model year. Almost all were sold in the U.S.; about 1,500 were sold in Canada and Mexico. Toyota said the cars have a system that activates or deactivates the front passenger air bags depending on the weight of the passenger. In some of the affected vehicles the system was improperly calibrated, so the front passenger air bags and knee air bags may not deploy. Toyota said it’s unclear how many times the condition has occurred or whether it has been responsible for any injuries. The 2011 Sonata has a circuit board inside the power steering system’s electronic control unit that may get damaged from corrosion or other weather-related effects. As a result, the power assist may fail and a warning lamp will appear on the instrument panel, although the driver probably would have already been aware of the increased steering effort. Hyundai said its supplier in South Korea, Mobis, had changed the protective coating on the circuit board in October 2010, after which these problems are said to have ceased. Hyundai first noticed the problem in March 2015 when it began analysing warranty claims for this part and tracked the claims up until January, when Mobis reviewed its records and determined the cause. Dealers will replace the ECU starting in June. The 2011 Sonata, which was entirely redesigned that year, has been recalled nine times since its 2010 introduction, including for complete steering failures in which the intermediate shaft couplings could separate. In November and September 2015, Hyundai recalled the 2011 and 2012 Sonata for brake pedal defects and engine failures. Continental AG notified BMW that an error in the manufacturing process, specifically unintended residue of metallic particles left over from stamping, could cause a short circuit and in turn a reset of the airbag control module. The residual metallic particles would need to be separated from the housing through excessive vibration or acceleration. The airbag light would go on, but the airbags would during this time be inactive. The issue affects 6,110 vehicles in the U.S., all of which will be recalled and repaired with new airbag control modules free of charge. The dealer fix should take about four hours, and BMW will notify customers by mail in May. In addition to the recall, BMW has issued a stop-sale of all 2016 BMW 7 Series. These include the 740i, 750i, and 750i xDrive. The BMW 7 Series starts at $82,295 including destination for the rear-drive 740i with a turbocharged straight six making 320 hp, and the model range extends all the way to the 750i xDrive which rings in at $98,395 with all-wheel drive and a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 good for 445 hp. For 2017 BMW adds some serious performance chops with the 600-hp Alpina B7 and the stately M760i xDrive with its 600-hp V-12.]]>