Toyota agreed to a $78.5 million Toyota airbag settlement resolving claims that airbag control units in roughly 2.9 million vehicles could fail to deploy in a crash. If you owned or leased a covered 2011–2019 Toyota or Scion model, you can file for reimbursement of recall-related expenses and a residual payment of up to $250 per person. Claims are open until December 11, 2028, at AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com.
Which Vehicles Are Covered
The settlement class includes current and former owners and lessees of these Toyota models:
- 2011–2019 Toyota Corolla
- 2011–2013 Toyota Corolla Matrix
- 2012–2018 Toyota Avalon
- 2013–2018 Toyota Avalon HV (Hybrid)
- 2012–2019 Toyota Tacoma
- 2012–2017 Toyota Tundra
- 2012–2017 Toyota Sequoia
All were part of NHTSA recall 20V-024, issued in January 2020, which covered about 2,891,976 vehicles. Before you file, run your VIN through the lookup tool at AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com to confirm your specific vehicle is in the class.
What You Can Claim
The $78.5 million fund pays two kinds of cash to class members: reimbursement for money you actually spent because of the recall, and a residual per-person payment from whatever is left afterward.
Out-of-Pocket Reimbursements
If the recall cost you money, you can claim it back. Covered expenses include:
- Rental car and other transportation costs you weren’t reimbursed for
- Towing charges to a Toyota dealer
- Childcare while the recall repair was performed
- Out-of-pocket repair costs for the airbag control unit
- Lost wages from time off work to handle the recall
A receipt or invoice is the standard proof. If you don’t have one, a signed affidavit is accepted instead.
Residual Payment of Up to $250
After reimbursements and settlement costs are paid, whatever remains in the fund is divided on a per-capita basis among eligible class members who register. The payment is capped at $250 per person, and the actual amount depends on how much money is left and how many people register. You have to register to get it; it doesn’t come automatically.
How to File
File online at AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com. Online filing processes faster, and the same site hosts the VIN lookup and claim forms. You can also file by mail through the settlement administrator.
The claim deadline is December 11, 2028. Payments and any deficiency notices are being sent on a rolling basis, so filing sooner rather than later gets you into the queue earlier.
For questions, the administrator is Kroll Settlement Administration, LLC:
- Phone: 1-833-747-5737
- Email: info@airbagcontrolunitsettlement.com
- Mail: Toyota Airbag Control Unit Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration, LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391
Other Benefits You Get Without Filing a Claim
Some parts of the settlement apply whether or not you file for cash.
A 12-year warranty on new parts installed during the recall repair. The warranty clock started July 31, 2023, the date of preliminary approval. If your dealer installed the noise filter under the recall, those parts are covered for 12 years from that date.
An inspection right after a frontal crash. If your covered vehicle is in a frontal collision and the airbag or seatbelt pretensioner fails to deploy, Toyota is required to inspect the vehicle when you report it.
A loaner vehicle program. Toyota received a $10 million credit against the settlement for providing loaners and outreach tied to potential future recalls, overseen by a court-appointed Settlement Special Administrator. An additional $3.5 million is dedicated to outreach aimed at getting more owners to complete the recall repair.
The Defect Behind the Recall
The lawsuit targeted airbag control units made by ZF-TRW Automotive Holding Corp. Plaintiffs alleged a flaw in the application-specific integrated circuit inside the ACU made it vulnerable to “electrical overstress” during a collision. When that happened, the unit couldn’t detect the crash or trigger the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners. There were no warning signs beforehand: an owner had no way to know the unit was compromised until a crash occurred and the safety systems didn’t fire.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation identified at least two serious frontal crashes involving 2018 and 2019 Toyota Corollas in which the ACUs were non-communicative afterward, meaning crash data couldn’t even be pulled. Across all manufacturers using the ZF-TRW units, NHTSA linked the defect to at least four fatalities and six injuries as of 2018, with an additional fatal Toyota crash noted in a 2019 report, and the agency was investigating at least 15 crashes where airbags failed to deploy.
Plaintiffs alleged the automakers knew about the ACU problem as early as 2011 but didn’t issue warnings until 2018. Toyota denied the allegations and settled. Under the recall, Toyota dealers install a noise filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness to block the electrical overstress. If you haven’t had the recall repair done, contact a Toyota dealer; the settlement doesn’t replace the recall.
Why the Deadline Runs to 2028
The court gave final approval to the Toyota settlement on November 28, 2023. Two class members, Diane Haase and John Kress, objected and appealed on December 28, 2023. While the appeal was pending, the parties reached a side agreement through a Ninth Circuit mediator: the objectors’ counsel received $150,000, split equally between plaintiffs’ co-lead counsel and Toyota, with no money taken from the class fund. In exchange, the objectors dismissed the appeal.
Judge John A. Kronstadt approved that agreement on November 20, 2025, finding it served the class because it ended the appeal, extended the claims filing period by nearly two years, and sped up distribution of benefits. The appeal was formally dismissed on December 11, 2025, and the settlement is now being implemented, with the extended December 11, 2028 claim deadline in place.
Legal Fees and Service Awards
Class counsel requested up to 33% of the fund, roughly $25.9 million, in attorneys’ fees. Each of the 11 proposed class representatives was eligible for a service award of up to $2,500. Any funds remaining after all payments, costs, and fees will be distributed to charitable causes through a cy pres mechanism. None of this affects your ability to claim.