Plano, TX – January 4, 2022 – Toyota has remedied issues on 7,693 vehicles, including the 2020 Corolla and the 2020 Toyota C-HR with a rear seat belt malfunction. In addition, 179 of these models have been categorized as unreachable and none were removed from the recall. Four groups of 2020 Toyota Corolla models were remedied in 2020 and two were remedied in 2021, for presenting these issues where the rear seat belt assemblies may not lock as intended.
In 2020, Nissan recalled certain 2020 Infiniti Q60 vehicles for similar issues with the rear seat belt that will not lock properly in the event of a crash.
Laguna Hills, Calif. – Dec. 26, 2019 – Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing is recalling certain 2019-2020 C-HR, 2020 Corolla, and Corolla Hybrid vehicles with rear seat belt issues. The affected vehicles are equipped with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism that includes a seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism that may not work as expected.
The potential number of vehicles affected is 9,468.
The Defect
The defect is specific to vehicles that are equipped with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual- mode locking mechanism. The dual- mode locking mechanism is meant to lock the seat belt webbing. The mechanism goes into affect based on feedback from vehicle deceleration (G-sensor) and whether the seat belt webbing is pulled out quickly (webbing sensor). However, during a specific production period, which lasted from August 26, 2019, until October 10, 2019, part supplier Joyson Safety Systems used an improper adjustment while assembling a certain spring that was used in the webbing sensor locking mechanism. The spring may be installed at an incorrect position in certain affected vehicles. An incorrectly positioned spring may interfere with other components in the webbing sensor locking mechanism and cause the mechanism to not lock properly. The G-sensor will not be affected unless the vehicle has been involved in certain types of crashes. As a result of the defect, an occupant may not be restrained properly during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Toyota estimates that about 4% of vehicles with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism have the defect.
Timeline Of Events
On August 28, 2019, a Toyota plant team member found that a webbing sensor locking mechanism for the rear seat belt on a vehicle that was in production did not activate. The possible defect was reported to Joyson Safety Systems, who launched their own investigation. This investigation determined the cause of the defect. A review by Joyson Safety Systems of their production history also identified other recent assemblies that contained similar issues. The next day, August 29, 2019, Joyson Safety Systems was able to adjust the compression pin that was being used for the defective springs to a proper position. Further review found that the problem may have been created by an adjustment on August 19, 2019.
On December 5, 2019, Toyota decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall campaign for the affected vehicles. Toyota has determined that no Toyota Field Technical Reports or warranty claims have been filed in the United States that pertain to this specific defect.
Other 2020 Toyota Corolla Recalls
In July 2019, Toyota recalled almost 7,000 vehicles potentially equipped with defective brakes including the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid sedans and some others. By December 2021, 97% of these recalls had been remedied by Toyota.
The Solution
Owners of affected vehicles that are known to Toyota will be notified to bring their vehicles in to a certified Toyota dealer. Each dealer will be tasked with inspecting the production date of the vehicle’s rear seat belt assemblies to determine if the vehicle is affected. If the vehicle contains the defect, dealers will replace the seat belt assembly with a new one that was produced correctly. Notifications to dealers were sent on December 10, 2019. Notifications for affected owners will occur in early February 2020. For both owners and dealers, a copy of the notification will be submitted by Toyota.
Payment for all of the repairs will be paid through the Toyota New Vehicle Limited Warranty, as all affected vehicles are within the active period of the warranty.
Is your vehicle a part of this recall?
This Toyota recall includes more than 9,000 2020 Corolla and 2019-2020 Toyota C-HR models. To see if your vehicle is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle recall lookup tool.
