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Toyota Recalls 98,000 Vehicles In Australia After Seatbelt Separated In Fatal Crash

Toyota Recalls 98,000 Vehicles In Australia After Seatbelt Separated In Fatal Crash
The new Toyota RAV4 is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. The annual Los Angeles Auto Show opened to the media Wednesday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show opens to the public on Friday, November 30. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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The new Toyota RAV4 is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. The annual Los Angeles Auto Show opened to the media Wednesday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show opens to the public on Friday, November 30. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Toyota Australia has announced a recall of 98,000 RAV4 vehicles due to potentially faulty rear seat belts.

The recall affects Toyota RAV4s built between August 2005 and November 2012.

"There is a possibility that, in the event of a high-speed frontal collision, the seat belt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame, become cut and separate," Toyota Australia said in a statement issued Thursday.

"If this occurs, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury to the occupant."

The fault is due to the construction of the vehicle and is not a problem with suppliers, Toyota has said.

Toyota Australia was quick to reassure drivers that "there have been no accidents or injuries in Australia as a result of this condition."

However, there have been two incidents worldwide where rear seat belts separated from the affected vehicles -- a fatal collision in Canada and an incident in the United States where a person was injured.

Toyota Motor Corp was unable to confirm whether the fault in their RAV4s were linked to any injuries or fatalities.

A total of 2.87 million vehicles have been recalled globally, including 1.3 million in the United States.

Toyota plans to add resin protection covers to the metal seat cushion frames of all recalled vehicles. However, due to the scale of the recall, the resin is not expected to become available until June this year.

Toyota says it will notify vehicle owners by mail when they are able to bring their cars in to be serviced. Adding the resin is predicted to take around 1 hour and will be provided free of charge.

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