Toyota Motor is recalling 342,451 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab trucks model year 2005-2011 for potentially faulty seat belts, reports The Detroit News.
According to the company, screws that attach the seat belt pre-tensioner to the retractor within the assembly can become loose over time due to repeatedly and forcefully closing the access door. If the screws loosen completely, the pre-tensioner and the retractor spring cover could detach from the seat belt retractor, which can affect seat belt performance, the newspaper reports.
The automaker has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the recall.
Toyota initially received two reports of problems in the U.S. market — in November 2011 and in February 2012. The company received another report from a Canadian owner in January and another in February from a U.S. owner, which prompted an internal investigation.
“The investigation indicated that the four screws that fasten the pre-tensioner to the retractor were completely unthreaded,” Toyota told NHTSA. “Toyota conducted testing through door cycling of the Access Cab model (opening and closing the access door) and vibration of the seat belt assembly to determine if loosening of the pre-tensioner screws or detachment of the pre-tensioner itself could occur, but this could not be duplicated.”
Source: The Detroit News
