The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·15V284000·Announced 2015-05-13

Toyota Recalls 2004-2005 RAV4 Vehicles Due to Air Bag Defect

Toyota is recalling 2004-2005 RAV4 vehicles because the driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment, posing a risk of serious injury or death.

NHTSA safety advisory

Do not drive this vehicle

NHTSA advises owners to stop driving this vehicle until the recall repair has been completed.

This is the agency’s own advisory, not our assessment. Contact the manufacturer or a dealer, and see the official NHTSA notice for the current guidance.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect could result in 'serious injury or death' due to metal fragments striking occupants, which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating involving significant injury reports or structural vehicle defects.

Plain-English summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured between May 13, 2003, and October 25, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion. Over time, this moisture could cause the inflator to rupture.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed.

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag free of charge. Owners were mailed an interim notice on June 17, 2015, and the recall began on August 21, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
TOYOTA RAV4
Brand
TOYOTA
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
159,700

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 (1)

  • RAV4

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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