The Ministry of Economy and Commerce in Qatar has announced the recall of 2001–07 models of the Toyota Corolla over a defect in the inflator of the passenger-side airbag, according to a report by the Middle East North Africa Financial Network (MENAFN). The ministry will co-ordinate with Abdullah Abdulghani Bros Co – the official dealer of Toyota vehicles in the country – to ensure follow-up maintenance and repair operations and will communicate with customers to ensure the implementation of procedures to fix defects. The vehicles will be repaired at no cost.
Significance: This recall is part of Toyota's global recall to fix the faulty Takata airbags. In June, Toyota made an announcement to recall an additional 2.86 million vehicles globally. Meanwhile, Qatar's Ministry of Economy and Commerce is working on a framework of co-operation with vehicle dealerships to protect consumer rights in the country. The ministry is working with local dealerships to establish the extent of their commitment to repairing vehicles in circulation with defects. The government has recently recalled Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and MAN truck models. The number of recalls has been growing in recent years as automakers have become proactive in recalling vehicles following a series of industry-wide scandals and because companies use more common components across models.
