2021 TOYOTA Camry

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

Expert Verdict
⚠️Elevated Concerns

The 2021 Toyota Camry exhibits a minor yet significant recall related to air bag deployment risks, notably affecting the occupant classification system. Given the severity of airbag failures in automotive safety standards, current and prospective owners should remain vigilant about this issue.

Key Factor:Airbag deployment risk

📋Why This Matters

Airbags are a critical component of vehicle safety systems, designed to protect occupants in the event of an accident. The recall highlights a potential failure in the occupant classification system, which may prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying. Such an oversight is particularly troubling as it could compromise passenger safety during a collision, raising questions about Toyota's quality control measures for this model year, especially given their longstanding reputation for reliability and engineering excellence.

Focus Area:Safety Profile
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Expert Analysis

  • 📈
    Recall Trend:No Change in recalls
  • ⚠️
    Primary Risk Area:Warning
  • ⚖️
    Vs Brand: Better than avg (1.5)
    📝
    Summary: The safety trend for the 2021 Camry indicates a deviation from Toyota's historically stellar record in reliability and low defect rates. While the single recall is relatively minor compared to other manufacturers, any issues related to airbag functionality merit serious attention as they impact life-threatening scenarios.

Safety & Reliability Score

87/100

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-8
Complaint Impact-5
Investigation Impact-0

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2021 TOYOTA Camry

Engine2.5L / 2.5L Hybrid
Cylinders4
Drive TypeFWD / AWD
Fuel TypeGasoline / Hybrid
Body ClassSedan
Model Year2021
MakeTOYOTA

Safety History Timeline

Jan21
NEWProduction
Jan21
RECALLRecall Issued
Jun23
ISSUEFirst Report

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

15 complaints (15% of total)
➡️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 100 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟠High
4(4%)
🟡Medium
16(16%)
🟢Low
80(80%)

Mileage Failure Analysis

⚙️Engineering Insight

The peak failure range identified at 0-20k miles suggests that issues may surface early in vehicle ownership, likely during warranty periods. Thus, owners should be proactive in monitoring symptoms related to airbag performance right after acquisition to ensure their vehicles are functioning safely.

📊 Mileage data extracted from 12 of 100 complaints (12% coverage)
0-20k
3 reports (25%)
20k-40k
3 reports (25%)
40k-60k
3 reports (25%)
60k-80k
1 reports (8%)
80k-100k
0 reports (0%)
100k+
2 reports (17%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

🛠️ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

AIR BAGS

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Air Bags

Issue: Occupant Classification System may fail to deploy passenger airbag.

Contact your dealership immediately for an inspection and necessary repairs related to this recall.

🔍

Verify if any recalls have been addressed by checking service records specifically for the airbag system.

Campaign:21V-123
💡Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your TOYOTA dealer to verify recall completion status.

Official Safety Recalls (1)

Campaign: 23V865000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Consequence

An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Additional Notes

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.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA Investigations

0 investigations

No active investigations for this vehicle.

Consumer Complaints

100 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2021 Camry.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Warning15%
Crash/Accident5%
Steering/Suspension🔶 Medium
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS

I was 165 mph and someone hit me and threw me into a sign that had big huge poles on it all the ones in California do I went right through it got banged all around I have to say the car is a tank because it got me home but it never deployed airbags when I know that it should have I’m pretty sure any other car would have the way that mine was wreck

Safety Systems🔵 Low
AIR BAGS

There is an airbag recall with no remedy available. I’m very concerned about driving my car without this being fixed. Toyota shows the parts should have been available by now. How can they allow this to go unfixed when they are putting lives at risk? I called my dealer and they said it wasn’t fixable yet.

Safety Systems🔵 Low
AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted several times. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Safety Systems🔵 Low
AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Visibility🔶 Medium
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER

Purchased this vehicle at a big dealership and driving noticed glaring across the windshield try washing not helping took vehicle to glass shop that told me windshield damaged from rock chips and was pitted all the way through and could not be repaired has to be replaced dealership refuses to replace even though it has glare in sunlight and impairs my vision when driving The custom relation manager said it would have to be shattered or cracked before they would fix she referred me to go to a tint shop to have inside tint installed to help with the glaring that’s a negative because that can make it worse for seeing this damage was not disclosed during sale so this falls under deceptive sale practice and this is bad business the vehicle has car fax report and was a commercial vehicle so this all makes sense why the windshield is as bad as it is also dealership told me to contact my insurance and deal with it that way this is a safety issue when driving and the sun makes it glare and hard to visibly see I want the dealership to take responsibility for this repair since it wasn’t disclosed to me at time of sale this purchase was done November 5 2025 it’s only been a couple weeks Also when I purchased this vehicle the first day of driving I noticed wrong tire speed rate was on car the vehicle calls for 95 H and it had 95 T which is a lower speed rate and is a safety issue as well on 11/11/25 I replaced out of my pocket and put four tires with proper speed rate for that vehicle I’m demanding to this dealership for reimbursement on that as well… Safelite glass did estimate on windshield and I purchased proper tires at big chief

Safety Systems🔶 Medium
AIR BAGS

I own a 2021 Toyota Camry XSE (VIN: [XXX] ) with a malfunction in the SRS airbag system related to the front passenger seat frame Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor. The airbag warning light remains on, and diagnostics indicate a failure in the OCS sensor that could prevent the passenger airbag from deploying correctly, or could deploy it at the wrong time during a collision. I contacted Toyota for assistance, but they declined to cover the repair, stating the vehicle is out of warranty and not covered under any current recall or extended warranty. However, this is a critical safety issue that affects the airbag system’s ability to protect occupants properly. I’ve discovered that Toyota has already issued multiple airbag- and sensor-related recalls in recent years, including: – The Takata inflator recall, affecting many Toyota models for potentially explosive airbag inflators. – A December 2023 recall for approximately 1 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles (model years 2020-2022) due to a front passenger seat OCS sensor defect—the same component involved in my Camry’s issue. – A June 2024 recall of about 145,000 U.S. vehicles (certain 2024 SUVs/hybrids) for side-curtain airbags that may not deploy correctly. – A January 2025 recall affecting 2023 Toyota and Lexus vehicles for steering-column spiral cable defects that could prevent the driver’s airbag from deploying. Given these ongoing airbag and OCS sensor problems across multiple Toyota models and years, it appears my 2021 Camry may suffer from a related or similar defect. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this issue should be included in or trigger an expansion of existing Toyota airbag recalls. Toyota’s refusal to assist despite the safety risk raises concern that other 2021 Camry owners could be affected without being aware of the danger INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Safety Systems🔵 Low
AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, parts for the recall repair were not yet available. In addition, the contact stated that several times the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a scheduled service appointment, and the contact was informed that the parts were still not available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the recall was initiated in 2023, and that parts were still not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure regarding the unrepaired recall.

Steering/Suspension⚠️ High
STEERING

Upon driving the vehicle the steering wheel fluid light came on, the car instantly shut off and restarted 3 times repeatedly. Once it cut back on the 4th time the car began smoking from the interior. Once I exited the vehicle and popped the trunk looking for where the smoke was coming from. The car engulfed into flames. It is so badly burnt up you can’t see what started the fire.

Other🔵 Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The subject vehicles have Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat, that could have been improperly manufactured. i have not received a Recall Notice advising of the repair since i bought the vehicle.

Safety Systems🔶 Medium
AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

I was involved in a multi-impact collision while driving my 2021 Toyota Camry. Certified crash data from the Airbag Control Module (ACM) confirms five crash events including a frontal collision (delta-V of -9.3 mph) and a rollover (roll angle 9.8°, roll rate 45.6°/sec). Despite these conditions, no airbags deployed—not the frontal, knee, or curtain airbags. The driver was belted, there was no airbag warning light, and power was maintained. Toyota later stated the system worked “as designed” and found no defects. However, federal safety standards (FMVSS No. 208 and 226) suggest this type of crash should have triggered the airbags, especially due to the frontal delta-V and verified rollover. I request a formal investigation. Crash report available upon request.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I know about the airbag recall on the 2021 Toyota Camry?

The recall centers around issues with the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor that may prevent proper airbag deployment. If you own or plan to buy a 2021 Camry, it’s crucial to check whether this recall has been addressed by your dealer.

How reliable is the 2021 Toyota Camry based on recent complaints?

'While there are numerous complaints reported (100 total), many pertain to general operational features rather than severe mechanical failures. Nevertheless, potential buyers should conduct thorough checks and be aware of any recalls or service bulletins when considering this model.'

📊Year-over-Year Context

📈Improving Trend

Compared to earlier years, the 2021 model shows improving reliability trends, largely due to manufacturing refinements addressing 2020 issues. Recall frequency decreased 67%.

🧭What This Means for You

Families with young passengers, pregnant drivers, or those with frequent highway commutes should prioritize this information.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

🔑

If You Own This Vehicle

  • Immediate Action: If any recalls are listed as 'incomplete', contact a certified TOYOTA service center—repairs are performed at no cost to you.
  • Unaddressed recalls pose real-world risks. Prioritize scheduling any pending repairs to maintain vehicle integrity.
  • Proactive tip: Enroll in TOYOTA's owner notification program for real-time safety updates.
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If You're Buying Used

  • Obtain proof of recall completion for all 1 campaigns before purchase.
  • Account for potential service downtime when calculating your initial ownership budget.

This page is designed to help you decide, not alarm you.

Compare with Similar Vehicles

Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: February 23, 2026.