Dash display fault for sedan, side impact airbag issue for latest ute.

WHEN your brand has become a byword for reliability - and repeatedly wins awards for trustworthiness - any kind of product glitch is worrisome.

Moreso for Toyota, in respect to the Camry from the 2024-2026 production, when it’s a software fault that has potential to increase the risk of a crash.

Japan’s No.1, also the market leader here, is recalling Camrys all around the world to address a glitch that could disable indicator signals, hazard lights and some audible warnings.

According to the brand, the fault could lead to “an increased risk of accident resulting in injury or death”.

The recall isn’t too bad in NZ; just 176 units built between June 2024 and November 2025; a fraction of the worldwide count of 633,000 units.

The NZ tally reflects how much the sedan has slipped out of the consumer mindset; most buyers these days prefer crossovers and sports utilities. Hence why RAV4 and Corolla Cross achieve much larger volumes.

The issue affects the vehicles’ dashboard, and the problem is defective software for the 7-inch combination meter – the technical term for the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, which shows information like speed and warning lights.

That cluster could go blank when the cars are started, and chimes like the seat belt warning could be disabled. Drivers get no warning before such failures, and there are no preceding symptoms.

The notification out of Toyota says the fault “can also deactivate the turn signal and hazard lamps and certain audible warnings (such as the key left in the ignition and the driver/passenger seat belt reminder.”

Owners of affected vehicles are set to be contacted by Toyota NZ to organise a free fix, which should take around an hour and must be carried out by a dealer. New Zealand has issued a recall notice for selected MY2026.5 Ranger variants over a potential issue with the pick-up’s B-pillar trim that can lead to airbags not deploying as intended in the event of a crash.

Meantime, the Japanese make’s nemesis in ute-dom, Ford, has struck issues with the latest Ranger, with concern about the integrity of aid curtain airbags.

Ford’s action is specific to the 2026.05 update that recently occurred; some 2602 dual-cabs are affected. Most are in dealer stock, another 400 are still en route.

A Ford NZ statement says it’s possible, in event of a crash, that the side side curtain airbags interact with the B-pillar trim during inflation and won’t deploy as intended.

Ford says it picked up the issue through internal routine vehicle testing and is not aware of any incidents in customer vehicles.

This means all affected vehicles yet to reach customers are on hold for delivery and those already with owners have been prioritised for repair, but that’s not going to start until September.

The issue is specific to those airbags; others fitted to the model are not affected and will activate as intended, if deployment occurs.