Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Oct 17, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
13%
of 60 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
6
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1
What this page shows
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Toyota 4Runner submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Owner reports naming airbag
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
AirbagsSteering
Filed Oct 17, 2026
Maplewood Toyota dealership service negligence resulted in a severe, 2-tooth mechanical misalignment of the steering intermediate shaft splines. The vehicle was subsequently driven for 11 months under extreme structural binding, inducing unmeasurable metallurgy fatigue on a primary control linkage, internal hydraulic valve balancing failure within the steering gear assembly, and excessive over-tensioning of the primary airbag restraint electronics. Reusing these compromised components creates an active crash hazard and an unreasonable risk of sudden component failure. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS & REPEATED DIAGNOSTIC FAILURES: In January 2026, an authorized franchise facility (Maplewood Toyota) replaced a steering universal joint and incorrectly reassembled the linkage out of index by two full splines, bypassing factory matchmarking protocols. This error left the steering wheel heavily off-center and created a severe, constant pull to the right. Over the next 11 months, the vehicle was brought into the authorized dealer network for four separate service visits across multiple Toyota franchise locations to address the persistent pulling and unstable tracking. The authorized network systematically failed to identify the physical, visual misalignment during these safety inspections. In October 2026, the dealership finally admitted to the 2-tooth offset. Rather than executing a safety-compliant overhaul of a primary control tract that had been bound for nearly a year, the dealership executed an unacceptable cosmetic shortcut: they unbolted the intermediate shaft, slid the old parts back to center, replaced only the interior column housing, and released the vehicle. ACTIVE SAFETY HAZARDS & RISK OF CRASH: Despite the physical realignment of the splines, the underlying safety risks remain severe and unaddressed: A. CATASTROPHIC SPLINE STRIPPING RISK: Forcing hardened steel steering splines out of index and torquing them down introduces material crushing and cross-threading to the
NHTSA ID
11771792
Incident
Jan 5, 2026
AirbagsBrakesEngine
Filed Mar 27, 2026
The dealership Direct Motor, located in Manassas, Virginia, sold me this car in poor condition. On Sunday the 22nd, I picked up the car around 10 PM. They didn't show me any information about the car. When I picked it up, I saw that the front bumper and rear door were damaged, and the airbag lights were on, which is dangerous. I returned the car first thing Monday morning and asked them to exchange it. They refused. I asked for my money back, which is $3,000, and they refused again. Then I went back on Wednesday and filled out a form explaining why I returned the car. They said they would return my money, but now they're not responding. They're trying to scam me.
NHTSA ID
11727554
Incident
Mar 22, 2026
Airbags
Filed Mar 29, 2024
Crash reported1 injury reported
My vehicle was in a collision at 55 miles an hour. Hit 3 grown cows in the highway at nighttime. Totaled my vehicle in the airbags, never deployed period Turn off.
NHTSA ID
11580036
Incident
Feb 22, 2024
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Jul 20, 2020
Crash reported
HUSBAND FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL GOING 80MPH AND HIT A HUGE EXIT SIGN WHICH HIT THE ENTIRE FRONT BUMPER AS WELL AS THE DRIVER SIDE PASSENGER DOOR AND NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.
NHTSA ID
11340505
Incident
Jul 19, 2020
Mileage
29,000 mi
AirbagsBody & structureDriver assistance
Filed Jan 4, 2020
Crash reported
TOTALED VEHICLE REPAIRED AFTER VEHICLE REPORTED TOTALED - VEHICLE NOT REPAIRED ADEQUATELY AND IS UNSAFE AS A RESULT OF A HIT AND RUN ACCIDENT. INCIDENT REPORTED TO POLICE - INSURANCE COMPANY, TOWING SERVICE, AND CONSUMER FRAUD BY NETWORK HACKING INSURANCE INFORMATION.
NHTSA ID
11297063
Incident
May 30, 2019
Mileage
15,000 mi
Airbags
Filed May 3, 2019
Crash reported
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 0540 WHEN I CAME UPON A DEER STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. I SWERVED TO AVOID HITTING IT AND CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL AT AN 90 DEGREE ANGLE, AT HIGH SPEED, CAUSING ALMOST 14 THOUSAND IN DAMAGE.
NHTSA ID
11205466
Incident
Apr 23, 2019
Mileage
9,600 mi
Airbags
Filed May 3, 2019
Crash reported
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 0540 WHEN I CAM UPON A DEER JUST STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY. I SWERVED TO AVOID HITTING IT AND HIT THE GUARDRAIL AT AN 90 DEGREE ANGLE, WHERE THE FORCE WHIPPED THE BACK END OF MY CAR INTO THE GUARDRAIL AS WELL.
NHTSA ID
11205444
Incident
Apr 23, 2019
Mileage
9,600 mi
Airbags
Filed May 3, 2019
Crash reported
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I CAME UPON A DEER JUST STANDING THERE. I SWERVED TO AVOID HITTING IT AND HIT THE GUARDRAIL AT APPROX 60MPH.
NHTSA ID
11205442
Incident
Apr 23, 2019
Mileage
9,600 mi
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own