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Toyota Avalon and RAV4 driver airbag may underperform

NHTSA campaign 20V734000 · Reported Nov 25, 2020 · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

high How serious is it? About this label

In a crash, an airbag that does not work as designed can increase the risk of injury. The notice does not tell owners to stop driving.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign number	20V734000
Reported to NHTSA	Nov 25, 2020
Manufacturer	Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Part affected	AIR Bags:frontal
Vehicles covered	4 model/year combinations, model years 2020–2021
Do-not-drive advisory	No
Park-outside advisory	No
Repair	Free at any franchised dealer

What's wrong, in plain English

Toyota is recalling certain Toyota Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Small pins inside the steering column, which are meant to break away and absorb energy in a crash to help reduce injury, may have been damaged while the vehicles were being built. That damage could affect how the driver's airbag performs in a crash, so these vehicles do not meet the federal safety standard covering occupant crash protection.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if your vehicle is included. 2. Contact a Toyota dealer to have the steering column replaced, or call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 (recall number 20TB17/20TA17). 3. The repair is free of charge.

Where do I find my VIN, and what do I tell the dealer?

Your VIN is the 17-character code on the lower left of the windshield, on your registration and usually on your insurance card. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether this recall is still open on your car. When you call the dealer, say you have an open safety recall and give them NHTSA campaign number 20V734000. More in how recalls work.

Affected vehicles (4)

2020 Toyota Avalon
2020 Toyota RAV4
2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
2021 Toyota Avalon

Who to contact

Toyota — official Toyota recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-331-4331

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Toyota Air Bag Recalls Involve Passenger Sensors and Deployment Problems · all 10 Toyota recalls in this area

Other Toyota RAV4 recalls

Apr 22, 2026Toyota RAV4 Front Seat Brackets Welded Improperlyhigh
Oct 30, 2025Toyota, Lexus and Subaru rearview camera may freezemedium
Sep 11, 2025Toyota Instrument Panel May Fail To Show Warningshigh
Dec 5, 2024Toyota RAV4: Loose Front Brake and Wheel Boltshigh
Dec 20, 2023Toyota, Lexus airbag sensor may block deploymenthigh
Nov 1, 2023Toyota RAV4 Replacement Battery Can Short Circuitcritical

All 17 RAV4 recalls

Official notice

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged during production, possibly affecting the performance of the driver's air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Safety risk: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB17/20TA17.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.