Denso Fuel Pump Recall: How to Check a Used Toyota or Honda

If you are looking at a 2013-2022 Toyota or Lexus, a 2017-2020 Honda or Acura, or certain Subarus, run the VIN for the Denso fuel pump recall before you buy. The low-pressure pump in the tank can fail and stall the engine, and the fix is a free pump replacement at the dealer. What makes it tricky for used buyers is that these recalls kept getting expanded, most recently in April 2026, so a car that came back clean a few years ago can show up open today.

We spent the afternoon of November 8, 2026 going through the NHTSA filings and the Consumer Reports coverage, because the campaign numbers alone are confusing. Toyota has 20V-012, 20V-682, 25V-028 and 26V-222. Honda has 20V-314, 21V-215 and 23V-858. Subaru has 21V-587. Same basic part, several waves, and a seller who says "the recall was done" may be thinking of the first wave only.

What actually fails

The pump sits in the fuel tank and feeds the injection system. Toyota's 2025 filing describes impellers made with lower-density material that can crack, soak up fuel and swell until they rub against the pump body. When that happens you can get check engine and master warning lights, rough running, a no-start, or a stall at low speed. Toyota's report says a stall at higher speed is rare, but it can happen, and that is the crash risk the recall exists for.

Consumer Reports adds that drivers may notice extra engine noise and vibration first, and that an engine which stalls may not restart. Honda's version of the defect, per CR, comes from an improperly molded internal part that can deform over time, with symptoms like an intermittent loss of power and hard starting.

Which cars are in it

On the Toyota side, Consumer Reports put the total above 3.34 million vehicles after the late-2020 expansion. The list runs from 2013-2015 Lexus LS 460 and GS 350 through 2017-2020 Toyota Sienna, Tacoma and Lexus RX 350, and 2018-2019 4Runner, Land Cruiser, GX 460 and LX 570, among many others. CarBuzz's summary of Toyota's own list adds 2018-2020 Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Sequoia and Tundra, plus ES 350 and other Lexus models. Run the VIN rather than trusting any list, including this one.

Then the stragglers. In January 2025 Toyota filed 25V-028 for 858 vehicles, including some 2018 Camrys and 2019 Lexus NX 300s, that should have been in the original recall but were missed because of data processing errors on Toyota's side. In April 2026 it filed 26V-222 for 9,139 more Lexus vehicles: 2015-2022 RC, 2016-2020 GS and 2022 IS, with owner letters scheduled for June 8, 2026.

Honda's December 2023 expansion, 23V-858, covers 2,539,902 vehicles according to Consumer Reports and folds in the earlier 20V-314 and 21V-215. It includes most 2018-2020 Accord, Civic, CR-V, HR-V, Odyssey and Ridgeline models, 2017-2020 Pilot and Accord Hybrid, and Acura MDX, RDX, TLX and ILX from the same years. CR also reported that owners who already paid for this repair were eligible for reimbursement. Denso's own filing also lists Subaru's 21V-587 and a Toyota Yaris add-on, 21V-617.

The hybrid exception nobody mentions

This one surprised us. According to Consumer Reports, Toyota told NHTSA that many of its hybrids use the same pump but go into a reduced-power "fail-safe" mode when it fails, so only the Lexus LS 500h and LC 500h were put in the safety recall. The other affected hybrids were handled under a customer satisfaction campaign instead. A satisfaction campaign is a different animal from a safety recall, so do not assume a free recall search tells the whole story on a Toyota hybrid. Ask a Toyota or Lexus dealer to look up the VIN for open campaigns of any kind.

How to check a used car before you pay

• Run the VIN on NHTSA's recall search and on the brand's own lookup. Our guides for Toyota, Lexus and Honda show where to click.
• If it shows completed, ask for the dealer repair order with the campaign code. Toyota's codes for 26V-222 are 26LB05 and 26LA05, and Honda's for 23V-858 are KGC and KGD.
• If the seller says it was done "years ago," check whether the car falls in a later expansion. Our post on checking whether a recall was completed covers how to read the status.
• On the test drive, cold start it, let it idle, and watch for warning lights or stumbling. A pump on its way out does not always announce itself, so a clean drive proves less than you would like.

An open recall is not a reason to walk away on its own. The repair is free and the part is the same for everyone. What bugs us is a seller who knew about the letter, ignored it, and priced the car like nothing was wrong. That tells you something about how the rest of the maintenance went.

Where a history report fits

A vehicle history report can show recall-related dealer visits when they are reported, plus title brands, accidents and ownership. It will not replace the recall lookup. If you buy a CARFAX directly, expect to pay roughly $39.99 to $44.99. Our reports come through a licensed reseller arrangement with CARFAX and AutoCheck, with no affiliation to either company or to Experian, and the recent prices have been about $5.50 for guests, $4.50 for members and $6.75 for a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle. They do change, so confirm at checkout.

Sources

• NHTSA acknowledgment, Toyota recall 26V-222 (April 2026)
• Toyota Part 573 report, recall 25V-028 (January 2025)
• Denso defect report amendment and chronology, 20E-085 (via NHTSA)
• Consumer Reports: Toyota, Lexus recall more vehicles that could stall
• Consumer Reports: Honda and Acura vehicles recalled for fuel pump failure risk
• CarBuzz: the Denso fuel pump recall and the 2026 expansion