Toyota has sent notices to North American dealers about placing a hold on selling eight select models for not meeting fire retardation standards.
Toyota Motors, Japan's largest automobile company, has rolled out a cease-on-sale order for nearly 36,000 vehicles of eight different popular brands over a potential fire risk. The order follows an investigation led by the South Korean safety officials that found a component in the heated seats did not meet federal safety standard for flame retardants, the car maker announced, Thursday.
In a brief note on the company's website, Toyota said that the impacted models include 2013 and 2014 Avalon, Avalon hybrid, Camry, Camry hybrid, Sienna and Tacoma, and the 2014 Corolla and Tundra. Toyota also notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the issue and is asking not to recall the sold inventory as there are no reports of fires or injuries in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, John Hanson, a spokesman for the automaker, told AutoNews.
"In involved vehicles, the seat heater, which is a small portion of the soft materials of the seat assembly, does not meet a provision of U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) requiring materials to retard flame at a specified rate," Toyota said in a press release. "Toyota is preparing a modification for this condition, which will be implemented on all covered vehicles in dealer inventory."
The affected models are among the most popular cars and trucks sold in the U.S. Since the issue affects only cars equipped with heated seats, according to Kelly Blue Book figures via AutoNews, only 8 percent of 2013-2014 models will be under scrutiny.
If any affected models have been sold to customers, Toyota will handle such requests on a case-by-case basis at no cost to the owner.
Toyota has made several recalls in the past, following a non-compliance with safety protocols. In August, 342,000 Tacoma midsize pickup trucks were recalled to fix a possible seat belt problem. The following month Toyota had two recalls, one for 369,000 Highlander Hybrid SUVs and Lexus IS 350 models due to potential fault with engine assembly and bolts and another for 780,584 hybrids and cross-overs in the U.S. and Canada to fix faulty suspension.
