2012 Toyota Avalon Recall: During a vehicle repair, the seat belt inner buckles may have been…
NHTSA campaign 18V569000 · Seat Belts · filed Aug 29, 2018 · verified Jul 30, 2026
The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles. During a vehicle repair, the seat belt inner buckles may have been replaced with parts that may incorrectly tell the air bag management system that the seat belt is always buckled.
The risk
If the seat belt is falsely interpreted as being buckled, in the event of a crash, the air bags may not deploy appropriately, increasing the risk of injury.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →The fix — what to do
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the seat belt assembly to verify that it is properly detecting being unbuckled, replacing the inner seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0S.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Affected vehicles
Related recalls
More Toyota Avalon recalls
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Other campaigns involving Toyota vehicles
Source: NHTSA recall database, campaign 18V569000 (manufacturer number J0S). Data last verified Jul 30, 2026.