Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota 4Runner owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2006 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that her son was driving at an unknown speed when another vehicle pulled in front of them to change lanes without warning causing her son to t-bone the vehicle and sending the other driver's vehicle to spin crashing into other vehicles nearby. The air bags deployed however their son received 2nd-degree burns on their right and 1st-degree burns on their lower region, and a concussion. The contact was unable to confirm if any other persons received injuries but was able to confirm other vehicles were damaged from the crash. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to their insurance company's facilities who had stated the vehicle was totaled. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
The air bag warning lamp went off around 145K miles while I was driving. Went to a fred anderson Toyota charleston, sc and the advisor stated that it was just the lamp and that the airbag is still functional. Approximately after 200 miles, the light reappeared, but as the Toyota advisor stated it was still functional, I ignored it. At my next check up at leith Toyota raleigh, nc. (153,953 miles) the advisor at that time told me that it was a failed spiral cable assembly. Come to find out there actually has been recalls on the spiral cable assembly. As stated in the Toyota recall ("the steering column assembly in the involved vehicles contains a spiral cable assembly with electrical connections to the driver's airbag module that could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned. If this occurs, the air bag warning lamp will illuminate. …
Previous complaint # 10505915 - date 4/11/13 on March 27th, 2013 I had an accident on a parkway rear ended. My whole SUV front part damaged and the airbag did not deployed. I was driving around 50 miles per hour and a commercial van in front of me stopped suddenly and I tried to stop the car, however it didn't and rear ended. Admitted to hospital emergency and released. Contacted Toyota few times about the airbag issue and not received a good answer or they don't even want to hear the complaint. Toyota 4runner - 2006 total damage to this car - insurance estimate $9400.00. * because of my complaint to safecar.gov, Toyota conducted an inspection on my vehicle on 5/17/13. The inspector send me an edr report and it showing airbag not commanded. ( unable to read / understand all other numbers on that report). The inspector informed me that, Toyota will contact me about the report. …
On March 27th, 2013 I had an accident on a parkway rear ended. My whole SUV front part damaged and the airbag did not deployed. I was driving around 50 miles per hour and a commercial van in front of me stopped suddenly and I tried to stop the car, however it didn't and rear ended. Admitted to hospital emergency and released. Contacted Toyota few times about the airbag issue and not received a good answer or they don't even want to hear the complaint. Toyota 4runner - 2006 total damage to this car - insurance estimate $9400.00.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Toyota 4runner. While driving 35 MPH, the front end of the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The front end of the vehicle was damaged and towed. A police report was filed. The driver was wearing a seat belt, but sustained injuries to his head due to it striking the steering wheel. The cause of the failure was unknown. The failure mileage was 7,000 and current mileage was 21,000.
Tl* - while driving his 2006 Toyota rav4 at 60 MPH the contact felt a jerking as if the vehicle were struck from the rear. He believes that the vehicle''s 4 wheel drive engaged causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle spun several times and flipped over multiple times coming to a rest on the vehicle''s roof. The airbag did not deploy. The driver was injured. The contact will have the vehicle, pictures, and a police report available.
The airbag light appeared while I was driving, I was googling why this happened and came across a forum talking about similar incidents. I was reading that after the light appeared most of the same year and model the airbags are exploding while driving. I am concerned with my safety and my family's safety. I also read the airbags were recalled for 4runners. Please I need to make sure everything will be fine while driving my truck. Thank you!
The airbag light in my '06 Toyota 4runner is on and won't turn off even after letting it idle for "6 seconds" as recommended by the recent letter from Toyota that I received. I have been informed that an official fix/recall for the airbags will not be available until September 2016. The Takata airbags have killed and permanently maimed people thus far. Fingers crossed that I can make it until September without being killed/injured by my car.
Tl* the contact was owns a 2006 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag spiral cable would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.
The driver airbag warning light is on. I've read a lot of recalls for my vehicle, but the dealer said this part was not recalled. I was hoping you could inform me if this part has been recalled and if so what would be my next steps.
Related recalls
Air bags › Side/window
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016.
Airbag complaints in other 4Runner years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 Toyota 4Runner?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner, 6% of the model year's 381 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota 4Runner airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-065 (side/window, Feb 5, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota 4Runner airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.