The 2009 Lexus ES350 has 4 recalls, all concerning the same defect: the front passenger airbag inflator can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin, with the potential for serious injury or death.
These are all part of the long-running Takata airbag recall campaign. The inflator inside the front passenger airbag can explode with too much force, tearing apart its metal housing and spraying shrapnel toward anyone in the front of the vehicle. Some filings specifically target vehicles that were sold or registered in high-humidity states such as Florida, Hawaii, Texas, California, and others in what regulators designated as high-risk zones, because prolonged moisture exposure accelerates the deterioration of the inflator's propellant. Prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the issue for all affected vehicles, which is why multiple recall filings exist for the same underlying defect across different model years and registration areas. If this vehicle has not had its passenger airbag inflator replaced under one of these recalls, that repair remains open.
