The recall applies to the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, and Venza made in 2012-13, with around 847,000 cars affected in North America and the rest in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. However, the recall will not impact on the UK where the vehicles are not sold.

In a statement, the carmaker said that in the involved vehicles, water from the air conditioning condenser unit housing could leak onto the airbag control module and cause a short circuit, resulting in illumination of the airbag warning light. On some instances, the air bag(s) could become disabled or could inadvertently deploy.

It added: ‘In limited instances, the power steering assist function could also become inoperable if a communication line in the airbag control module is damaged.  Loss of power steering assist results in increased steering effort.’

The solution involves applying a sealant and installing a cover to the air conditioning condenser unit housing seam located above the airbag control module.

Owners of the involved vehicles will be notified by first class mail to return their vehicles to a Toyota dealer for the repair.