2014 Toyota Highlanders recalled over seatbelt issue

Toyota has announced a recall of a number of 2014 Highlander SUVs, citing issues with one of the seat belts. Specifically, the seat belt assembly in the middle seat of the third row may not have been properly attached to a floor anchorage during factory assembly. The affected vehicles were built from November 20, 2013, to January 18, 2014. The affected vehicles do not conform to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 210: "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."

A total of 7,067 Highlander trucks are affected by this recall, so this is a relatively small number of vehicles. The defect has not caused any injuries, and was discovered during quality control inspections at the factory. The fix for this defect will be performed at the dealer level since the issue is not a complicated one, mechanically.

Toyota is set to notify owners starting in March 2014, and owners will be able to take their vehicles to the dealer to have the seat belt assembly inspected and repaired free of charge, if a fix is necessary. Owners can contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 if they suspect that their vehicle is part of the recall or in regards to any other question, and the company itself will of course notify the owners of the affected vehicles that were manufactured during that time period.

Visit the NHTSA website to view other details pertaining to this recall.

By Jay Ramey