Front Passenger Air Bag May Not Deploy Properly/FMVSS 208

Affected vehicles (1)

Component / system

Defect

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Lexus LX vehicles. The front passenger seat may have insufficient clearance between the seat frame and the stopper that can cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor to incorrectly detect the occupant. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk / consequence

Incorrect detection of an occupant may result in improper air bag deployment during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the front passenger seat frame assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed April 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated May 9, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26LB03 and 26LA03.

Chronology of events

1. July 2024

   In July 2024, Toyota identified that a jig used by a seat frame supplier was incorrectly positioned during their production process because Toyota found one vehicle with the “Airbag OFF” indicator illuminated with the passenger seat occupied during the final 100% vehicle inspection at the assembly plant and interference was found between the seat frame and the stopper. Toyota began an investigation to understand if the potential effects of the incorrect jig position. From November 2024 to June 2025, Toyota identified, based on different potential occupant loads, that if the clearance is below 3.8 mm, there is a potential for the seat frame produced (using the incorrectly positioned jig) to contact the stopper. From July 2025 to March 2026, Toyota began a parts recovery activity to determine the amount of clearance between the seat frame and the stopper that could exist in the suspect field population. Toyota analyzed the recovered parts and identified certain seat frame assemblies with a clearance below 3.8 mm.

2. March 2026

   In March 2026, Toyota conducted vehicle testing using different clearance amounts below 3.8 mm that were observed in the field. Toyota found that a seat frame with the lowest clearance observed in the field not only contacted the stopper, but also caused the OCS to misclassify the occupant based on the measured weight. On March 18, 2026, Toyota determined that it is possible for an inaccurate reading from OCS sensors to cause the front passenger airbag system to not function as designed in the event of a crash. Thus, the involved vehicles may not meet the requirements of FMVSS No.208, paragraphs S5.1.1(b)(2), and S5.1.2(b).

Notification schedule

Dealer notification

Mar 24, 2026 - Mar 24, 2026 No Dealers

Owner notification

May 09, 2026 - May 23, 2026 Phased Recall