- Toyota recalled replacement curtain airbags across Tacoma and Tundra trucks.
- Two manufacturing defects can reduce airbag protection during deployment.
- Only service replacement airbags are affected, not factory-installed units.
Recalls happen all of the time, but a new pair from Toyota is a bit strange. The Japanese automaker just issued two safety actions affecting its trucks. In each case, faulty airbags pose a risk of not inflating properly. The weird part is that these recalls both center on replacement airbags that these trucks never had when they initially left the factory.
In total, the two recalls cover 4,118 Joyson Safety Systems curtain shield airbag assemblies sold as replacement parts for 2016-2023MY Toyota Tacoma and 2014-2021MY Tundra pickups. If one of these replacement airbags was installed in your truck after an accident, it could provide less protection than intended when it’s needed most. Again, that’s the key. If your Toyota was never in a wreck that required replacement of the factory airbags, these recalls won’t affect you.
More: Toyota Recalls 2022-2023 Tundra Trucks Over Flying Tonneau Covers
One recall covers 2,381 replacement curtain shield airbags intended for certain 2016-2023MY Tacoma models. Toyota says the supplier may not have properly secured the airbag to its mounting bracket during assembly. If that happens, portions of the airbag may not reach their intended positions when deployed, reducing occupant restraint performance and increasing the risk of injury in certain crashes.
The second recall involves 1,737 replacement curtain shield airbags for 2014-2021MY Toyota Tundra Double Cab and CrewMax models. In this case, Toyota says the supplier may not have rolled the airbag correctly during manufacturing.
Like the Tacoma issue, an improperly manufactured airbag may fail to fully deploy into the correct position during a collision, and nobody wants that. It sounds like internal investigations at Joyson Safety Systems uncovered the issue, and then Toyota confirmed the problem before issuing the recall.
Toyota will notify owners known to have received one of the affected replacement airbags by late September. Dealers will inspect vehicles for the recalled parts and replace any defective curtain shield airbag assemblies free of charge. Toyota is also asking dealers to identify replacement parts previously sold to body shops and collision repair facilities so additional affected owners can be contacted.
