2004 Toyota RAV4

The 2004 Toyota RAV4 has 3 recalls, all centered on the same serious hazard: both the driver and passenger frontal airbag inflators can rupture during deployment, sending metal fragments into the cabin.

These are Takata-related inflator defects. On both the driver and passenger sides, moisture has worked its way into the airbag inflators over time, degrading the propellant inside. When the airbag deploys in a crash, the compromised inflator can explode with far greater force than intended, breaking apart and scattering sharp metal fragments toward the driver and anyone seated in the front passenger seat. The risk of serious injury or death is real in any frontal collision that would otherwise trigger a normal airbag deployment. Because this vehicle is now over 20 years old, the inflators have had ample time for moisture to accumulate, making the hazard more pronounced than it would have been when the vehicles were newer.