NHTSA campaign 08V181000 · Toyota campaign 80D

Toyota Recall 08V-181: FMVSS 208/THIRD ROW REAR SEAT BELTS

NHTSA recall 08V181000 (Toyota campaign 80D) was reported by TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. on April 18, 2008, with 90,189 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Toyota Highlander and Toyota Highlander Hybrid for the 2008 model year. Owners were notified on December 10, 2008, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 08V181000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Toyota VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign
08V181000 (also written 08V-181 or 08V181)
Filed by
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Toyota campaign number
80D
Report received
Potentially affected
90,189 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component
Seat Belts — Rear/Other
Owners notified
Safety standard
FMVSS 208

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 08V181000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

Toyota

  • Toyota Highlander

    • 2008 · Vehicles built May 31, 2007 – March 7, 2008 (per NHTSA)
  • Toyota Highlander Hybrid

    • 2008 · Vehicles built May 31, 2007 – March 7, 2008 (per NHTSA)
All Toyota recalls

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 08V181000.

Defect description

TOYOTA IS RECALLING 90,189 MY 2008 HIGHLANDER AND HIGHLANDER HYBRID PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A THIRD ROW SEAT. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." THE NON-DRIVER DESIGNATED SEATING POSITIONS (DSP) ON THESE VEHICLES IS EQUIPPED WITH SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES THAT HAVE A FEATURE THAT CONVERTS THE RETRACTOR FROM AN EMERGENCY LOCKING RETRACTOR (ELR) TO AN AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR (ALR). THE BELTS CONVERT TO THE ALR MODE AFTER THE WEBBING HAS BEEN FULLY WITHDRAWN FROM THE RETRACTOR. THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED SO THAT AS THE BELT IS RELEASED INTO THE RETRACTOR, THE SYSTEM REMAINS IN THE ALR MODE SO THAT A CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM (CRS) CAN BE TIGHTLY SECURED.

Safety consequence

HOWEVER, FOR THE TWO THIRD ROW DSP'S ON THESE VEHICLES, THE ALR MODE DEACTIVATES BEFORE THE WEBBING IS FULLY RETRACTED, SO THAT IT WILL NOT LOCK WHEN CERTAIN REAR-FACING CRS'S THAT HAVE A SHORT SEAT BELT ROUTING PATH ARE INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. THIS CAN ALLOW THE SEAT BELT WEBBING TO SPOOL OUT DURING NORMAL DRIVING MANEUVERS, WHICH COULD AFFECT THE STABILITY OF A CHILD RESTRAINT INSTALLED AT THOSE SEATING POSITIONS. AS SUCH, THIS COULD DISCOURAGE THE USE OF A CHILD RESTRAINT AND IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE CHILD MAY NOT BE ADEQUATELY PROTECTED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURY.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEWLY DESIGNED SEAT BELT COMPONENT FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 18, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Notes

TOYOTA RECALL NO. 80D.CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 08V181000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.