Problems · by component

2020 Toyota RAV4 air bags problems

55 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2020 Toyota RAV4 cite air bags, 9% of all 639 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 2 recalls on this component.

Complaints
55
9% of all complaints
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the air bags

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the message "Air Bag Fault" was displayed. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 9, 2026Air bagsODI 11730130
“I received recall notice December 2023 for defect in front passenger seat airbag that could cause the airbag to fail to deploy in the event of a crash. I have contacted the dealer several times and have been told each time that there is no remedy (yet). It has been two years and the risk to passengers in my vehicle has not been remedied. Fortunately, I have not had any collisions but the danger and safety concerns remain, and there has been NO ACTION BY TOYOTA ON THIS SERIOUS RECALL NOTICE The Recall Notice stills says “no remedy” and it has not been updated in the past year. This is a serious, potentially dangerous and life-threatening defect, a recall has been issued, and yet NOTHING has been done to remedy the defect FOR TWO YEARS. What remedies are available to me as a customer? Will action be taken on this complaint? Please let me know when I can expect a response.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 8, 2025Air bagsODI 11703741
“The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); for over a year. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for routine maintenance, and the contact requested information on the possible recall repair and was informed that the manufacturer was working on the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed. The contact had not experienced a failure.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 27, 2025Air bagsODI 11683500
“The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 24, 2025Air bagsODI 11675993
“Dear NHTSA, My name is [XXX] the owner of the above RAV4. It has been probably if not, six months since that I kept on going to my local dealer for the safety recall on my vehicle however, every time I am going to the dealer, they told me that the recall is not available as a yet. I am very concerned about this issue.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 4, 2025Air bagsODI 11671196
“The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 3, 2025Air bagsODI 11671054

Showing 6 of 55 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

2 recalls on this component

Air bags: occupant classification

Remedy pending

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Air bagsReported Dec 20, 2023NHTSA 23V865000

Air bags: frontal

Free remedy

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."

Air bagsReported Nov 25, 2020NHTSA 20V734000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.