Pontiac Recall 15V-043: Air bags – frontal

Affected: 2003–2004 Pontiac Vibe, 2003–2004 Toyota Avalon, 2003–2004 Toyota Corolla and 1 more. Filed with NHTSA on January 28, 2015, covering about 1,006,849 vehicles.

The problem

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

The risk

Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.

The fix

Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this campaign.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign15V-043 (15V043000)
ManufacturerToyota Motor Corporation
ComponentAir bags › Frontal
Report dateJanuary 28, 2015
Owners notifiedAugust 24, 2015
Vehicles affected1,006,849
Initiated byNHTSA investigation

Vehicles covered

Owner complaints about the air bags

Frequently asked questions

Is the recall 15V-043 repair free?

Yes. Pontiac dealers will fix the problem at no cost: Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

How do I know if my car is included?

Not every vehicle of the listed model years is affected — the recall covers 1,006,849 vehicles built in a certain window. Check your 17-character VIN with our VIN recall check or at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.