2021 Toyota RAV4

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags). The contact had been calling the local dealer and was informed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that approximately two years ago, the air bag warning illuminated and remained illuminated whenever the vehicle was started. The contact had since stopped anyone from sitting in the front passenger’s seat. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

On May 1, 2025, my 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid displayed an SRS Airbag malfunction warning (Recall 23TA15). The passenger airbag was disabled, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. Toyota had announced this recall in December 2023, but I never received any notification. When I contacted Toyota on May 9, 2025, I was told there were no parts available and was even offered a $200 paid inspection instead of a free recall repair. My vehicle remained at the dealership from May until September 29, 2025, without any available remedy. During this period, I continued paying my auto loan and insurance for a car I could not use. Toyota also failed to disclose my right to a free rental vehicle; I only received temporary rentals (Camry, later Tacoma) after repeated demands, and they did not meet my transportation needs. While the airbag recall was still unresolved, a second safety recall (25TD01 – Rear Traction Motor Cable Corrosion) was announced in mid-September 2025. This meant my vehicle had two active safety recalls at the same time while in Toyota’s custody. Both defects were only repaired at the end of September and early October 2025. Toyota failed to notify me in time, delayed the remedy for nearly two years after the recall announcement, concealed rental rights, and allowed my vehicle to remain unsafe under multiple recalls for months. An independent arbitrator has already issued a repurchase decision, confirming Toyota’s responsibility. This demonstrates a systemic failure by Toyota to comply with recall and safety obligations.”

My 2021 Toyota RAV4 has been under airbag recall for over a year (starting around August 2023), and I have been unable to safely use my vehicle since then. Toyota has no estimated timeline for parts availability or repair, and the recall remains unresolved, they originally estimated October 2024, but that was nearly 1 year ago. Their provided timelines are now unreliable. I was provided a rental car, but it is not comparable to my RAV4 (smaller, less safe, lacks features like AWD and collision protection). Toyota has told me that if I accept the inferior rental, I will not be allowed to drive my own vehicle until the airbag is replaced — an indefinite period. I have contacted the dealer and Toyota Corporate repeatedly, but have been told there is no fix in the foreseeable future. Toyota has effectively deprived me of my own vehicle for more than 12 months, with no compensation, no buyback, and no acceptable substitute. This indefinite delay in addressing a critical safety defect (airbags) puts me and other owners at risk. I am submitting this complaint in hopes that NHTSA can hold Toyota accountable and accelerate a fix or require them to offer alternatives such as a buyback, permanent replacement, or compensation. The prolonged unavailability and loss of use of a vehicle due to a safety defect, especially with no viable end in sight, is unacceptable. Vehicle Info: - Year: 2021 - Make: Toyota - Model: RAV4 - VIN: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I received notice of the recall for front passenger seat airbag sensors in Dec 2023, with assurances that it would be fixed by a certain quarter, which kept getting pushed out for almost 2 years now. I haven't received any further updates in the mail or email and had to call the dealer and Toyota directly to get any updates or info. They finally had an update that the remedy fix would happen in phases. I'm in CA and the last phase 8 which is estimated for Jan 2026. I do not have confidence that the fix will happen by then as these dates have continuously been delayed for 2 years. We've been driving our cars with a potentially unsafe situation for a long time. How will we as consumers really know when our car can be fixed?

On 9/20, I started receiving a dashboard notification alerting me of an airbag system failure (see photo) - that was unable to be dismissed for longer than 15-20 seconds obstructing my odometer, speedometer and gas meter. On 9/23, I had an appointment and was informed my car needed a “clock spring assy”. My car is not driven frequently and not even four years old yet.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure related to the recall. The manufacturer was not contacted.