The Toyota Tacoma is hit by another recall.
Toyota is recalling over a third of a million of its compact Tacoma pickups due to a seat belt issue that could increase the risk of injuries and even fatalities in the event of a collision.
The problem involves the Access Cab version of the Toyota Tacoma, the smaller of the Japanese maker’s pickups, produced between 2004 and 2011. It’s the latest in a slew of safety-related problems involving the compact Tacoma.
According to a statement from Toyota, “screws that attach the seat belt pre-tensioner to the seat belt retractor within the seat belt assembly for the driver and front passenger can become loose over time due to repeatedly and forcefully closing the access door. If the screws loosen completely, the seat belt pre-tensioner and the retractor spring cover could detach from the seat belt retractor, which can affect retractor and pre-tensioner performance.”
The bottom line is that the seatbelts could come loose, possibly during a collision, resulting in potentially serious injuries. Even with the latest in “smart” airbag technologies, officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have stressed that a seatbelt is a motorist’s first line of defense.
Toyota ordered a recall of 310,000 of its FJ Cruiser sport-utility vehicles earlier this year because of the possibility their seatbelt assemblies also could come loose over time.
(Click Here for more on the Toyota FJ Cruiser recall.)
This is the latest in a series of recalls involving the Tacoma over the last year, problems ranging from faulty airbags to excessive corrosion, as well as a potential fire hazard.
The latter issue, announced last autumn, involved a total of 7.4 million vehicles – the largest recall in Toyota history – equipped with faulty power window switches that could short out and catch fire. Since early 2012, the Tacoma has also faced several recalls involving airbags, including one that covered close to 500,000 of the trucks.
(Series of recalls involve over 1 mil Toyota vehicles. Click Here for more.)
And about 150,000 Tacomas produced between 2001 and 2004 were recalled due to corrosion problems so severe their spare tire carriers could fall off on the road while the vehicles were being driven.
Toyota plans to notify customers by mail in the coming weeks about the latest Tacoma recall. Owners can call 1-800-331-4331 or go to www.toyota.com/recall. Repairs will be made at no charge.
(Toyota settles one big unintended acceleration lawsuit – but goes to court over another “bellwether” case. Click Here for the story.)