Toyota To Recall 2.9m Cars Over Seatbelt Concerns

Toyota has announced plans to recall 2.87 million vehicles across the globe over a potential safety issue with the seatbelt. The recall will concern the RAV4 and Vanguard SUVs, the latter of which are sold in Japan. The auto maker isn't sure whether any injuries have resulted from the issue, but is aware of instances where seatbelts were damaged during crashes.

The issue concerns the seatbelts and a metal seat frame that, when a crash happens, could cut the seatbelt, putting the passenger at risk. Once the recall starts, dealerships will repair the issue by covering the metal seat frames with resin, something that will prevent the seatbelt from being cut.

Toyota knows of two instances in which rear seatbelts separated during a crash; however, it wasn't able to determine if the issue has been involved in any crash-related injuries. When drivers will be notified of the recall isn't clear.

The issue affects RAV4 SUVs made from July 2005 to August 2014, and the Vanguard SUVs made from October 2005 to January 2016. Of the recalled models, 1.3m are located in North America, 434,000 are in China, 625,000 are in Europe, 177,000 are in Japan, and the remaining 307,000 or so are located in other places around the globe.

SOURCE: Reuters