Toyota said no accidents or injuries have been reported for this belt safety defect.
In its latest safety problem, Toyota Motor Sales is recalling 209,000 FJ Cruiser trucks because the safety belt retractors for the driver and front passenger can pry loose from the rear access doors where they are mounted.
The door is not strong enough to support the load in an apparent engineering lapse. Due to what Toyota says is “insufficient strength of the rear door panel,” cracks may develop time if the rear door is repeatedly and forcefully closed. If cracks occur in the panel around the lower seat-belt retractor anchor, the seat-belt retractor may become detached.
In a statement, Toyota said that no accidents or injuries have been reported for this safety defect. Owners of 2007-2013 FJ Cruiser models covered by this safety recalls will receive an owner letter via first class mail starting in the near future. Any authorized Toyota dealer will perform this recall at no charge to the vehicle owner as is required by U.S. safety regulations.
Detailed information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
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.
