Toyota Recalling 1.3 Million U.S.-Market RAV4 SUVs for Seatbelt Issue

Toyota announced a global recall of more than 2.8 million SUVs today, including 1.3 million in the United States. The recall, which applies to RAV4s sold between July 2005 and August 2014, pertains to a seatbelt issue that could leave occupants vulnerable in a crash.

According to the company, the seatbelt could be damaged by the vehicle’s metal seat frame in the event of a collision, which could cause the seatbelt to fail. Obviously, that could lead to serious injury or death. The company will rectify the issue by adding resin covers to metal seat cushion frames. According to a report in Reuters, Toyota was first advised of the issue after receiving reports that rear seatbelts had separated following collisions.

In addition to the 1.3 million RAV4s sold in America, the recall also applies to 625,000 vehicles in Europe, 434,000 vehicles in China, 177,000 in Japan, and 307,000 in other regions. It also encompasses the Japan-only Vanguard SUV, a crossover very similar to America’s third-generation RAV4. Such are the problems with being one of the world's largest automakers: You've got a lot of ground to cover if anything goes wrong.

The report in Reuters says Toyota could not determine whether the two incidents with the rear seatbelt separations had caused any injuries or deaths.

Source: Reuters