543K more Toyota cars recalled for air bags

The 2012 Toyota Sienna ^[1] was one of many cars recently recalled for air bag problems due to Takata parts. Photo courtesy of Toyota

Toyota has announced a recall of about 543,000 additional Toyota, Scion and Lexus car ^[2] models in the U.S. as part of the Takata air bag recall, which is the result of new information provided by Takata to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (or NHTSA).

The cars affected include:

2008-2009 and 2012 Scion xB
2009 and 2012 Toyota Corolla
2009 and 2012 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2007-2009 and 2012 Toyota Yaris
2012 Toyota 4Runner
2012 Toyota Sienna
2006-2009 and 2012 Lexus IS250/350
2012 Lexus IS250C/350C
2008-2009 and 2012 Lexus IS-F
2007-2009 and 2012 Lexus ES350
2012 Lexus GX460
2012 Lexus LFA

Like other cars involved in the Takata air bag recall, the affected autos have a specific type of Takata front passenger air bag inflator, which contains propellant that can degrade after extended exposure to high humidity, high temperatures and high temperature cycling. This can ultimately result in the inflator rupturing when the air bag deploys, potentially injuring or killing occupants.

Owners of affected cars will receive notices by mail beginning next month with instructions on how to get the affected part repaired for free at a dealer. To see if your car has been affected sooner, enter the car's VIN (located on the driver's side of the dashboard) into NHTSA's VIN Lookup Tool ^[3] to check for any recalls.

Here's how to learn about recalls sooner ^[4], and never face the risk of throwing a recall notice away by mistake.

RATE SEARCH: Comparing car loans? Check interest rates now at Bankrate ^[5].

Tara Baukus Mello writes the cars blog as well as the weekly Driving for Dollars ^[6] column, providing both practical financial advice for consumers as well as insight into the latest developments in the automotive world. Follow her on Facebook here ^[7] or on Twitter @SheDrives ^[8].