Almost 13,000 vehicles in New Zealand are affected by Toyota's global recall, Toyota New Zealand says.
Toyota is recalling around 2.9 million sport utility vehicles worldwide after rear seat belts separated in one fatal accident in Canada and during a crash that injured a passenger in the United States.
The automaker has been unable to confirm if the fatality or injury are connected with the defect prompting its recall of RAV4, RAV4 EV and Vanguard SUV models, spokeswoman Kayo Doi said in an email. Rear seat belts in the vehicles could be cut by metal seat-cushion frames in severe front crashes and fail to restrain passengers, she said.
Toyota New Zealand said there have been no reported incidents of this fault occurring in New Zealand, however it would be participating in the recall for RAV4 models manufactured between 2005 and 2014.
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There are 3521 grey imports in New Zealand in addition to the 9436 New Zealand models identified, bringing the total number of affected vehicles to 12,957.
The company will be contacting owners of the vehicles through traceable registration data.
The remedy takes between 30-60 minutes, and will be performed at no cost to vehicle owners at their local Toyota dealership.
The Toyota RAV4 is New Zealand's best-selling SUB and the fifth most popular passenger vehicle overall.
The model is also one of Toyota's most significant in the US market. The SUV may surpass Camry, the industry's top-selling car in the US for the last 14 years, and become Toyota's biggest seller within the next five years, Senior Vice President Bob Carter said in December.
The recall also tacks on to what is already one of Toyota's biggest ever repair campaigns involving safety devices. Toyota is among 14 manufacturers calling back about 24 million vehicles to replace Takata Corp inflators that have ruptured and led to the largest US auto-safety recall. Older RAV4 models also are included in the Takata air bag recall.
AA spokeswoman Mehpara Khansaid recalls were relatively common and a good thing to do.
"Unfortunately vehicle recalls do happen, but it's good to see responsible companies like Toyota issuing recalls as soon as they've been alerted to any problems.
"It shows they're putting the safety of their customers first. If people do have any concerns, we encourage them to contact their local Toyota dealership."