Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling ~50,000 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid, Lexus NX250, NX350, NX350 Hybrid, 2024-2025 Lexus RX350, RX350 Hybrid, and RX500 Hybrid vehicles for damaged Mexican made seat belts.
“The second-row center seat belt webbing may be damaged. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, Seat Belt Assemblies,” Toyota told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the mandatory safety defect filing made public by NHTSA today.
“The subject vehicles are equipped with a second-row center seat belt. Due to incorrect tooling during a hot-knife cutting process at a specific manufacturing facility, the second-row center seatbelt webbing may have been damaged. A vehicle with second-row center seatbelt damaged by this process may not meet the requirements of FMVSS No. 209, paragraph S4.2(b) and may not perform as intended. This can increase the risk of injury during certain crashes if an occupant is belted in the second-row center seat,” Toyota told NHTSA.
Dealers will inspect the seat belt webbing and replace the seat belt assembly if necessary, free of charge as required by U.S. safety regulations. Owner notification letters are not expected to be mailed until 24 March 2025. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota’s numbers for this recall are 25TA03 and 25LA03. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at nhtsa.gov about NHTSA Recall: 25V059 or 25V-059.
Chronology
- In December 2024, during a routine inspection of the parts arriving at the seat supplier production facility, a melt mark was found on the webbing of a second-row center seatbelt. The seatbelt supplier subsequently began conducting FMVSS testing on the second-row center seat belts with a melt mark.
- During January 2025, the seatbelt supplier shared the results of the tests with Toyota. Toyota further assessed the data and found that the webbing strength of second-row center seat belts did not meet certain requirements of FMVSS No. 209, paragraph S4.2(b).
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Toyota and Lexus Recalls for Bad Safety Belts
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling ~50,000 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid, Lexus NX250, NX350, NX350 Hybrid, 2024-2025 Lexus RX350, RX350 Hybrid, and RX500 Hybrid vehicles for damaged Mexican made seat belts.
“The second-row center seat belt webbing may be damaged. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, Seat Belt Assemblies,” Toyota told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the mandatory safety defect filing made public by NHTSA today.
“The subject vehicles are equipped with a second-row center seat belt. Due to incorrect tooling during a hot-knife cutting process at a specific manufacturing facility, the second-row center seatbelt webbing may have been damaged. A vehicle with second-row center seatbelt damaged by this process may not meet the requirements of FMVSS No. 209, paragraph S4.2(b) and may not perform as intended. This can increase the risk of injury during certain crashes if an occupant is belted in the second-row center seat,” Toyota told NHTSA.
Dealers will inspect the seat belt webbing and replace the seat belt assembly if necessary, free of charge as required by U.S. safety regulations. Owner notification letters are not expected to be mailed until 24 March 2025. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota’s numbers for this recall are 25TA03 and 25LA03. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at nhtsa.gov about NHTSA Recall: 25V059 or 25V-059.
Chronology
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.