Japanese carmaker Toyota has announced that 2.87 million vehicles will be recalled around the world, including 1.3 million vehicles in North America.
Toyota Motor is conducting the recall because of the risk that seatbelts could become damaged during a crash by a metal seat frame. The world’s biggest-selling automaker announced the recall in an email, according to Reuters.
Toyota RAV4 and Vanguard SUVs recalled due to seatbelt risk
The recall involves RAV4 SUVs built between July 2005 and August 2014, sold around the world, and the Vanguard SUV model built from October 2005 and January 2016, sold in Japan. Alongside 1.3 million vehicles in the U.S., the recall involves 625,000 vehicles in Europe, 434,000 in China, 177,000 in Japan and 307,000 from other countries.
“The condition does not occur in other vehicles, because the shape of the metal seat-cushion frame is different,” Toyota added. As part of the recall Toyota said that it would be adding a resin cover to metal seat cushion frames on the vehicles.
The move will stop metal pieces severing the seatbelt in a crash. Toyota said it received two reports involving rear seatbelts that separated during crashes. The fix will take just 30-60 minutes per vehicle.
Recall is the latest in a series of worrying auto safety concerns
The company says that the fault caused one person to lose their life in an accident in Canada. Every owner of an affected vehicle will be notified by post so that they can take their vehicle to a local dealer.
This latest recall is one of a series in which basic auto safety equipment has been called into question. Perhaps the most serious was the discovery that a flaw in tens of millions of airbags could lead to fatal accidents.
Following a series of recalls, carmakers have become extra cautious. The airbag fault has been linked to 10 deaths and over 100 injuries, leading to the recall of 24 million vehicles. Earlier this month various automakers such as Honda and Fiat Chrysler conducted a recall of around 5 million vehicles. They will fix a faulty airbag component manufactured by Continental Automotive Systems.
The German company makes electronic airbag control components, and had apparently been aware of a defect since January 2008.
