Toyota Tacoma and Tundra Curtain Airbag Recall 2026: Models, Dates, and What to Do

© A. Krivonosov

Toyota is conducting two related equipment safety recalls in the U.S., covering 4,118 replacement side curtain airbag modules. As SPEEDME journalists found while reviewing regulator documents, the campaign involves 2,381 parts for the 2016–2023 Toyota Tacoma and 1,737 parts for the 2014–2021 Toyota Tundra Double Cab and CrewMax. These are recalls of equipment, not of every truck built in these generations.

On the Tacoma, the defect is tied to how the curtain airbag attaches to its mounting bracket. When it deploys, some sections may fail to reach their intended position, reducing occupant protection in a crash. These Joyson Safety Systems service parts were produced from June 2024 through December 2025.

On the Tundra, the cause is different: the curtain airbag may have been rolled incorrectly at the supplier’s plant. As a result, it may not fully deploy when triggered. The affected parts were produced from December 2021 through September 2025 and were intended specifically for service replacement.

Both types of airbags were built at a Joyson Safety Systems plant in Mexico. As of July 21, 2026, Toyota had not received any warranty claims or technical reports from the U.S. tied to the defects. The company decided on the voluntary recalls on July 24 after analyzing parts returned to the supplier.

NHTSA’s filing lists an estimated defect rate of 1%, though that figure should not be taken literally. The regulator’s portal required a whole number, so Toyota entered 1 in place of “unknown.” The real number of improperly assembled airbags has not yet been determined.

Dealers will check whether a vehicle has an affected part installed and replace the module free of charge if needed. Owner notifications are expected to go out between September 13 and 27, 2026. Toyota is also asking dealers to trace parts previously sold to body shops.

Owners should pay particular attention if their truck was repaired after a collision or had its curtain airbags replaced in the U.S. The model year alone doesn’t mean a vehicle is part of the campaign — what matters is the service history of that specific curtain airbag.

The remedy for this campaign is straightforward: dealers inspect the vehicle for an affected part and replace the entire curtain airbag module free of charge if one is found. An official NHTSA campaign number had not yet appeared in the regulator’s database at the time of publication — we’ll update this once one is assigned.

SPEEDME previously compared how Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150 protect occupants in crash tests. The new filings point to a separate risk: even a vehicle with a strong factory safety record can end up with a flawed component after a later repair.

Tacoma has had airbag-related service issues before — Toyota previously recalled Tacomas over a propeller shaft defect, though that campaign involved an entirely different component.

Supplier Joyson has appeared in another campaign before, when Mercedes recalled the GLE and GLS over a defective airbag material. In Toyota’s case, the issue involves different products and a different root cause.

For more recall coverage, see how Ford recalled 34,481 vehicles over a 10R80 transmission park-risk defect.