Close To Three Million RAV4 Vehicles Recalled By Toyota

Seatbelts in these sport utility vehicles could be severed in a crash.

If the seatbelt in these RAV4 sport utility vehicles gets severed in a crash, passengers in the vehicle could be unprotected.

Toyota recalled nearly three million RAV4 sport utility vehicles worldwide on Thursday, saying their rear seatbelts could be severed in a severe crash, leaving passengers unprotected.

According to Autoblog.com:

Toyota said it had traced the problem to its design of metal seat-cushion frames in the S.U.V.’s rear seats. In a severe frontal crash, it said, the frames could slice through the belts, leaving passengers unrestrained. It said that the seatbelts themselves were safe and that the problem was not caused by a supplier. Toyota said its dealers would fix the problem in the RAV4s by adding resin covers to the metal seat-cushion frames. That will take 30 minutes to 60 minutes per vehicle.

Vehicle owners will be notified by first class mail.