Toyota recently issued a recall concerning certain RAV4 and RAV4 EV SUVs, after Canada’s transport ministry said it had found a potential seat-related defect in a unit involved in a fatal accident.
The discovery led to a global recall of 2.87 million vehicles, of which 1.3 million located in North America, 625,000 in Europe, 434.000 in China, and 307.000 in other regions.
According to Reuters, the ministry made the discovery after reconstructing a crash involving a 2011 RAV4 in Canada in which the front occupants survived, but the rear passengers perished. Apparently, in a severe front-impact crash, rear seatbelts can be cut after coming in contact with steel parts from the seat frames, failing to restrain the passengers.
The Japanese car manufacturer apparently was aware of the finding due to a separate report from the US, in which a rear seat passenger sustained injuries because of a severed seatbelt – although Toyota added that it had not been able to make a connection with injuries or fatalities.
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