Toyota Air Bags: Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

Toyota is recalling about 3,235 vehicles over a problem with the air bags. If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position.

Campaign
13V014000
Manufacturer
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC
Reported
16 January 2013
Vehicles
3,235
Built between
Not published
Models
16
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
21 March 2013
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2009-2012 Toyota 4RUNNER
  • 2009-2010 Toyota Avalon
  • 2009-2012 Toyota Camry
  • 2009-2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  • 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla
  • 2009-2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  • 2009-2013 Toyota Highlander
  • 2009-2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  • 2009-2012 Toyota Prius
  • 2012 Toyota Prius V
  • 2009-2012 Toyota RAV4
  • 2010-2012 Toyota Sequoia
  • 2010-2013 Toyota Sienna
  • 2009-2012 Toyota Tacoma
  • 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra
  • 2009-2013 Toyota Venza

What the defect is

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

What could happen

If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

What gets fixed

Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA16 January 2013
  2. Owners notified21 March 2013

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 16 January 2013.

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 may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC
Recall initiated by
MFR

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

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

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.

Same component

Same brand