Toyota Australia recalls 98,000 vehicles over seatbelt fault

Toyota Australia has announced a recall of 98,000 vehicles in Australia following the discovery of a problem with seatbelts.

RAV4 vehicles manufactured between August 2005 and November 2012 could have issues with outboard seatbelts in seats in the second row, the company announced.

"There is a possibility that, in the event of a high-speed frontal collision, the seatbelt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame, become cut and separate," Toyota Australia, which is headquartered in Melbourne's southwest, said in comments published on Friday.

"If this occurs, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury to the occupant,"it read.

There have been two incidents worldwide where rear seatbelts were cut due to the fault, one in Canada and another in the United States though Toyota Australia made assurances that "there have been no accidents or injuries in Australia as a result of this condition."

Repairs on the recalled vehicles will begin in June with Toyota estimating it will take approximately one hour per vehicle for mechanics to add resin protection covers to the metal seat cushion frames of the vehicles.

Toyota Australia says it will notify RAV4 owners when they are able to bring their vehicles in to be serviced.

The recall will affect over 2.5 million vehicles globally. Endit