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Which Toyota and Lexus airbags may not deploy in a crash?
The front passenger position dominates this group: six of the ten recalls turn on whether the passenger airbag, knee airbag or seat-mounted side airbag fires correctly. Occupant Classification System faults repeat — a miscalibrated OCS on 2019 Camry, and interference inside the 2022 RAV4 front seat — as do physical blockages, including wrong seat trim covers on 2020 Highlander and a missing instrument-panel perforation on 2022-2023 Corolla Cross that needed a second recall after the first inspection. Electrical faults cover the widest range: a seat belt tension sensor harness on Land Cruiser and LX 570, an airbag ECU issue on Corolla and Avalon, and a sensor short circuit across 2020-2022 Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus ES and RX.
Warning signs to watch for
- Airbag warning light on, or the passenger airbag indicator disagreeing with who is actually in the front seat — the OCS recalls involve the system misreading the passenger
- Nothing changes in how the vehicle drives, steers or brakes; these are crash-protection faults, not drivability faults
- Wrong seat trim covers, a missing instrument-panel perforation, incorrect door welds or damaged steering column breakaway pins cannot be seen by an owner — only a dealer inspection finds them
- For most of these recalls the notices describe no warning sign at all; the problem shows up only during a crash
Is it safe to keep driving?
None of the ten airbag recalls carries a do-not-drive order or a park-outside instruction. Toyota's language is consistent: the vehicles drive, steer and brake normally, and owners are told to keep using them while arranging the free repair. What is at stake is crash protection — an airbag that fires late, partially, or not at all. Because several of these specifically affect the front passenger, some owners choose to seat passengers in the rear until the work is done; the notices do not require that. Treat these as soon-not-someday appointments.
What the free repair involves
It varies by defect. Dealers recalibrate or repair the Occupant Classification System, replace seat trim covers, instrument panels, curtain shield airbag assemblies, a steering column, a Sienna front door sub-assembly, or the front passenger seat belt assembly. Some recalls are inspection-first — the airbag ECU gets a noise filter only if needed, and a short-circuiting sensor is replaced only if found. No over-the-air fix applies here; every repair is free.
Severity at a glance
| Severity | Recalls |
|---|---|
| high | 9 |
| medium | 1 |
Models affected most
Every recall in this group
| Date | Recall | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-20 | Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX curtain airbags deploy wrong | medium |
| 2023-12-20 | Toyota Corolla Cross: passenger airbag may not open properly | high |
| 2023-12-20 | Toyota and Lexus front passenger airbag may not inflate | high |
| 2022-07-21 | Toyota RAV4 passenger seat sensor may misread occupant | high |
| 2020-11-25 | Toyota Avalon and RAV4 driver airbag may underperform in crash | high |
| 2020-10-14 | Toyota Highlander Wrong Seat Covers Block Side Airbags | high |
| 2020-01-17 | Toyota Corolla and Avalon airbags may not deploy in crash | high |
| 2019-08-01 | Toyota Camry passenger airbag sensor set up wrong | high |
| 2019-04-23 | Toyota Sienna passenger airbags may deploy at wrong time | high |
| 2018-12-13 | Land Cruiser and LX 570 passenger airbags may deactivate | high |
Common questions
My Corolla Cross was already inspected for an airbag recall — why another letter?
The December 2023 recall specifically covers 2022-2023 Corolla Cross vehicles previously inspected at a dealership under recall 23V-384. The instrument panel may still lack the required perforation, so dealers inspect again and replace the panel as necessary, free of charge.
Are Lexus models part of these Toyota airbag recalls?
Yes. The LX 570 shares the Land Cruiser seat belt tension sensor recall, the ES, RX and ES300h appear in the 2020-2022 sensor short-circuit recall, and the TX350, TX500 Hybrid and TX550 Hybrid+ share the Grand Highlander curtain airbag repair.
Will the airbag warning light tell me my vehicle is affected?
Not reliably. Several of these faults — incorrect seat trim covers, a missing instrument panel perforation, incorrect door welds — produce no dashboard warning at all. Check your VIN against Toyota's recall lookup or call 1-800-331-4331 rather than relying on the light.
A recall applies only to specific vehicles. Check your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.