- Vehicles
- 150,061
- Built between
- May 2003 – Sep 2004
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 20 December 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 2003 and September 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2004 Lexus ES 330Built July 2003 to September 2004
- 2005 Lexus ES330Built July 2003 to September 2004
- 2004-2005 Toyota CamryBuilt May 2003 to September 2004
What the defect is
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a front passenger power seat, when installing certain rear-facing infant child seat bases onto the seat with an excessively high seatbelt tension, it may be possible to unseat a component called the buckle status switch from the seat belt buckle.
What could happen
If the switch becomes unseated, the front passenger occupant classification system may mistake the rear-facing child restraint for an unbelted adult occupant, and may not suppress the deployment of the front passenger airbag.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH. THIS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (SSC 40M) BEGAN ON DECEMBER 20, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 2003 to September 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA15 December 2004
- Owners notified20 December 2004
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 15 December 2004.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987..
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- SSC 40M
- Recalling manufacturer
- TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
- Recall initiated by
- OVSC
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
This action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.