Recall: 209,000 Toyota FJs for detaching seatbelts
Seatbelts can come loose from the doors on the 2007-2013 FJ Cruiser.
Toyota is recalling 209,000 FJ Cruiser SUVs for seatbelts that can detach from the vehicle, the company said Thursday afternoon.Seatbelt mechanisms for the front passengers can break off the mounts if the rear door panel, which houses the lower belt anchor, cracks. The belts are integrated into the half-size rear doors, which are hinged at the rear and swing out in the opposite direction. Models from 2007 to 2013 are affected.
If the rear doors are "repeatedly and forcefully closed," cracks can develop over time in the door panels and cause the retractor to come loose, Toyota said. No injuries have been reported.
In October, Toyota said a dealer reported a detached seat belt retractor on a 2007 FJ Cruiser. Soon afterward, Toyota looked at 19 owner vehicles and found the door panel cracked on a vehicle with about 87,000 miles, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Toyota said it was "currently developing a remedy" and did not specify a date for when the recall would begin. Owners can visit www.toyota.com/recall or call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
[Source: Toyota]
UPDATE, 5:12 p.m. EST: This story has been updated to include the official recall report from NHTSA.
It seems as though we are back to a period of defects in automobiles. Maybe all the bean counters have simply gone too far. There is hardly a auto maker out there that does not have some models with some sort of problems. Trouble is none of them make a clear case for bad workmanship, cheap parts, or lousy engineering. But all of those are included. Maybe technology is to blame more then anything.
Older cars of the 70's and 80's had panels that did not align, cheesy paint jobs and poor MPG engines.
Today however we have brakes that apply for no reason, cars that accelerate for no reason, and engines that may get great MPG but it will take a genius to fix one if it goes wrong. I can only guess the problems these high tech vehicles have when they get about 10 years on them. If they make it that long?
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