Toyota Nigeria recalls 900 units of RAV4 over safety issues

Toyota Nigeria Limited has announced the recall of 900 units of RAV4 produced between 2006 and 2012 to fix possible faulty real seat belts.
Managing Director, TNL, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo, said in Lagos, Tuesday,that the recall was on the order of the parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation, as a proactive safety measure to avert danger to the lives of people occupying the back seats of the vehicle in the event of an accident.
“The issue has to do with the metal frame of the two extreme seats: the one on the right and the one on the left as you open the back seat. In the event of an accident, the seat belt is expected to restrain you from being thrown overboard; but in this case, there is a possibility that the seat belt may get cut and come in contact with the metal frame. This may cause some compromise to the system,” he said.
Ade-Ojo said the TNL had ordered resin protectors from the vehicle manufacturer that would be needed to pad the metal frame and prevent it from constituting any danger.
He also said all the authorised dealers of TNL had been duly briefed about the problem and how to handle it.
The dealers, he noted, had been directed to contact the affected owners of the recalled vehicles, in addition to public notices to inform them about the development.
He said the fixing of the problem would only take about 30 minutes, adding that the special service campaign was at no cost to the car owners.
“It is a simple process, which will neither deface the vehicle nor diminish its beauty in any form,” he explained.
Ade-Ojo also said the service campaign period had no terminal date as he added that “the one we did last year, we are still contacting the customers. Every week, we send the report to the TMC.”
The TNL managing director, however, said priority would be given to those who purchased their vehicles from any of its authorised dealers in the country.
He said the issue ordinarily might appear minor to the people but the firm decided to take the measure despite the cost to the manufacturer because Toyota did not want to take chances.
“The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us and we don’t compromise on this,” Ade-Ojo added.