The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·13V442000·Announced 2013-10-17

Toyota Recalls 2012-2013 Avalon, Camry, Venza for Airbag Risk

Toyota is recalling 2012-2013 Avalon, Camry, and Venza vehicles because a clogged air conditioning drain hose may cause water to leak onto the airbag control module, potentially disabling airbags or causing them to deploy unexpectedly.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a structural vehicle defect where a short circuit can disable airbags or cause inadvertent deployment, increasing the risk of injury or a crash, which aligns with the 'Severe' criteria for significant injury reports or structural defects.

Plain-English summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. The recall affects 802,769 vehicles. The issue involves the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser, which may become clogged. This can cause water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing and leak through a seam onto the airbag control module.

A short circuit in the airbag control module may cause the airbags to become disabled or to deploy inadvertently. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. Additionally, the power steering assist could become inoperable, resulting in increased steering effort and an increased risk of a crash at low speeds.

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
TOYOTA AVALON, CAMRY, VENZA
Brand
TOYOTA
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Category
Vehicle — Airbag / Safety System
Hazard
Affected units
802,769

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (3)

  • AVALON
  • CAMRY
  • VENZA

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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