If you drive a Toyota Tacoma, listen up. Torrance, CA-based Toyota Motor North America this week announced a voluntary recall of 342,000 Tacoma trucks thought to have faulty seatbelts. Affected units are Toyota Tacoma Access Cab vehicles, produced from 2004 to 2011 and sold at Toyota dealerships nationwide.
Trucks involved in the recall have screws that attach the seat belt pre-tensioner to the seat belt retractor within the seat belt assembly for the driver and front passenger. Over time, these particular screws can become loose due to repeated and forceful closing of the access door. If the screws loosen completely, the seat belt pre-tensioner and the retractor spring cover could detach from the seat belt retractor, which can affect retractor and pre-tensioner performance, making the seatbelts less effective and potentially dangerous.
If your registered Toyota Tacoma is part of the recall, you should receive a notification from the company by first class mail. However, you also can click here and enter the VIN number of your vehicle. Your truck’s VIN number is a unique series of 17 numbers and letters and is located in one or more of several places including:
- The lower-left corner of the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel
- At the front of the engine block, easily spotted by lifting the hood and looking at the front of the engine;
- At the front of the car frame, near the windshield washer fluid container;
- At a rear wheel well, directly above the tire;
- Inside the driver-side doorjamb, underneath where the side-view mirror would be located if the door was shut;
- At the driver-side doorpost, near the spot where the door latches, not too far from the seatbelt return;
- Underneath the spare tire.
If your truck is affected and you and your dependents have not been injured as a result- of the faulty seatbelt, take you vehicle to your nearest Toyota dealership for a free repair. If you believe an injury was caused by the seatbelt issue, however, contact Todd E. Copeland & Associates and speak with an experienced product liability attorney today. Reach us at 888-999-9149 for a free consultation.
