TOYOTA — Toyota recalled more than 2.9 million vehicles on Thursday, due to a problem with the rear seat belts which could be severed in a crash and leave passengers unprotected, Reuters reported.
The recall involves the RAV4 SUV model sold worldwide and produced between July of 2005 and August of 2014, and the Vanguard SUV model sold in Japan and produced between October of 2005 and January of 2016.
It includes 1.3 million vehicles in North America, about 625,000 vehicles in Europe, 434,000 vehicles in China, 177,000 in Japan and 307,000 in other regions.
The recall was caused by a problem in the metal seat cushion frame, which could, in the event of a crash, damage the rear seats' lap-shoulder seat belts, leaving passengers unprotected.
As a response, Toyota said resin covers will be added to the metal seat cushion frame of the affected vehicles to prevent metal pieces from cutting the seat belts in case of accident.
According to the New York Times, the recalls come after Toyota received two reports in which rear seat belts separated after a crash. In one of the crashes, a passenger was killed. The company, however, could not establish whether the fatality had been caused by the seat belt failure.
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