Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing – Steering Column Damage Affects Air Bag Performance

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.”

Affected models: ,

Report Received Date 20201125
NHTSA ID 20V734000
Consequence Summary In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.
Corrective Action 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.
Recall Code 20TB17/20TA17
Potentially Affected 161
Fire Risk When Parked No
Do Not Drive No
Recall Link Go to Recall (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=20V734000)

What the owner should do?

You can check if your specific car is affected by a recall by entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the NHTSA website. The VIN is a unique code that identifies your vehicle and can be found on your car's registration, insurance documents, or near the base of the windshield on the driver's side.

Check recalls by VIN

If the recall involves your car, you should make immediate contact with a dealer or workshop that’s been officially authorised to perform repairs on behalf of the manufacturer and ask for the details.