Toyota Issues Safety Recall After Discovering Seat Belt Defect

Toyota Motor North America, Inc. announced on Aug. 30 that is conducting a safety recall for certain 2012 model year Toyota Avalons. The recall affects about 19,400 vehicles in the United States.

A service manufacturing error from a Toyota supplier is to blame for the recall. The manufacturer may have paired seat belt inner buckles with the wrong seat belts. While the issue seems small, the seat belt inner buckle won’t be able to identify if a seatbelt is in fact buckled. This defect could affect how the airbag system determines the appropriate airbag deployment method in a crash. Also, it increases the risk of injury or death for passengers in seats with the wrong inner buckle.

In its release, Toyota also claims that at most, 97 of the 19,400 had the part replaced by a dealer or non-Toyota service provider.

The company says that it will inspect all involved vehicles, and if necessary, replace the defective parts with a new one at no cost to customers. In addition, the company says that its customers will receive a notification by first class mail starting in mid-September.

How to find out if the recall affects your Avalon vehicle

The National Traffic Safety Administration’s website offers a search feature for vehicle owners. Just go to the site, enter your vehicle identification number (VIN) and hit search.

Visit the NHTSA’s recall page here: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

The Carlson Law Firm Can Help Victims of Airbag Failure

If you or a loved one suffered an injury in a vehicle with airbags that did not properly deploy, contact The Carlson Law Firm. Our team of accomplished Product Liability Attorneys will work with any necessary independent accident investigators. We will work with automotive industry experts to preserve and analyze evidence that may be crucial to your case. Moreover, if we find that a defective airbag system is to blame, we will fight for maximum recovery in insurance settlement negotiations or at trial, if necessary.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We care. We can help.