Jacksonville, Fla. — August 17, 2016 — A June 8 statement posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website described a new Toyota recall affecting 14 different models. According to this letter, a total of 7,749 vehicles may potentially be at risk for a fire hazard due to possibly damaged electrical wiring in seat heaters.
If some of these cushions are compressed, the source said, a short circuit could occur. This would happen because of worn electrical wiring within the copper strand heating element. The model years for the affected vehicles range from 1988 to 2012 – some of the brands include the Toyota Avalon, Camry, Tacoma and Tundra. Together, all of the vehicles were produced between Dec. 5, 1987 and Jan. 27, 2012.
The Part 573 Safety Recall Report said that a short circuit could potentially injure an occupant and burn through the seat cover. The component manufacturer involved in this case, Marketing World Wide, Inc., was said to no longer be in business.
While the report set June 1 and 2 as the dealer notification date, owners aren’t scheduled for notice until later this month, between July 14 and 29. The recall will include “all potentially affected vehicles,” the report said, and dealers will disconnect the relevant seat heaters.
A press release from the manufacturer announced another pair of Toyota recalls in late June. The U.S. arm of the company recalled “approximately 482,000” units for possible cracks in the weld area of the air bag inflators.
This could cause the inflator to separate, putting occupants in possible danger. To remedy this, dealers will reportedly add retention brackets to the impacted vehicles’ curtain shield air bag inflators. This issue seems unrelated to the millions of vehicles involved in the widespread Takata air bag recalls.
