NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V569
Manufacturer Toyota
Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Components AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
Potential Number of Units Affected 19,354
Inner Seat Belt Buckle Magnet Missing
If the seat belt is falsely interpreted as being buckled, in the event of a crash, the air bags may not deploy appropriately, increasing the risk of injury.
Summary
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles. During a vehicle repair, the seat belt inner buckles may have been replaced with parts that may incorrectly tell the air bag management system that the seat belt is always buckled.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the seat belt assembly to verify that it is properly detecting being unbuckled, replacing the inner seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 17, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota’s number for this recall is J0S.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Check if your Vehicle has a Recall
Original Publication Date: August 29, 2018
To: All Toyota Dealer Principals, General Managers, Service Managers, and Parts Managers
SAFETY RECALL J0S Remedy Notice
Certain 2012 Model Year Avalon
Front Seat Belt Buckle Inspection and Replacement
| Model / Years | Production Period | Approximate Total Vehicles | Approximate Stop Sale Dealer Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Avalon | Early December 2011 – Late October 2012 | 19,400 | 0 |
On August 29, 2018, Toyota filed a Defect Information Report (DIR) with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) informing the agency of our intent to conduct a voluntary Safety Recall on certain 2012 model year Avalon vehicles.
Condition
Due to a service part manufacturing error, some vehicles may have had a front seat belt buckle replaced with one that does not correctly identify whether the seat belt is buckled. This could affect how the airbag system determines the appropriate airbag deployment method in a crash and could increase the risk of injury to the occupant where the seat belt buckle was replaced.
Remedy
Any authorized Toyota dealer will inspect both front seat belt buckles and replace them if any buckle is affected by this condition FREE OF CHARGE.
Covered Vehicles
There are approximately 19,400 vehicles covered by this Safety Recall. There are approximately 20 vehicles involved in this Safety Recall that were distributed to Puerto Rico.
Owner Letter Mailing Date
Toyota will begin to notify owners in mid-September 2018.
Toyota makes significant effort to obtain current customer name and address information from each state through industry resources when mailing owner letters. In the event your dealership receives a notice for a vehicle that was sold prior to the Safety Recall announcement, it is the dealership’s responsibility to forward the owner letter to the customer who purchased the vehicle.
Please note that only owners of the covered vehicles will be notified. If you are contacted by an owner who has not yet received a notification, please verify eligibility by confirming through TIS prior to performing repairs. Dealers should perform the repair as outlined in the Technical Instructions found on TIS.
Dealer Inventory Procedures
New Vehicles in Dealership Inventory – Reminder
Toyota has not identified any new vehicles in dealership inventory that are covered by this Safety Recall. However, below is a reminder of the dealer’s obligations pertaining to Safety Recalls if there are new vehicles in dealership inventory:
Under Title 49, Section 30112 of the United States Code, a dealer cannot sell, offer for sale, or introduce or deliver for introduction in interstate commerce a new motor vehicle when it is aware that the vehicle does not comply with an applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard or contains a defect related to motor vehicle safety. Further, 49 Code of Federal Regulations §577.13 requires us to provide the following advisory: It is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by this notification under a sale or lease until the defect or noncompliance is remedied.
Vehicle Safety Recall completion should always be verified through TIS. We request your assistance to ensure involved vehicles are identified and not delivered prior to performing the remedy.
NOTE: Dealers can identify if any of their new and used inventory has any open campaigns in the Vehicle Inventory Summary available in Dealer Daily (https://dealerdaily.toyota.com/). The Vehicle Inventory Summary may take up to 4 hours to populate information for newly launched campaigns.
Pre-Owned Vehicles in Dealer Inventory
To ensure customer satisfaction, Toyota requeststhat dealers complete this Safety Recall on any used vehicles currently in dealer inventory that are covered by this Safety Recall prior to customer delivery. However, if the campaign cannot be completed (for example, due to remedy parts availability), delivery of a covered vehicle is acceptable if disclosed to the customer that the vehicle is involved in a Safety Recall.
Toyota expects dealers to use the attached Customer Contact and Vehicle Disclosure Form to obtain vehicle buyer information. Dealers are expected to provide a copy of the completed form, along with the most current FAQ, to the vehicle buyer. Toyota and the dealer may use this information to contact the customer when the remedy becomes available.
Keep the completed form on file at the dealership and send a copy to quality_compliance@toyota.com. In the subject line of the email, state “Disclosure Form J0S” and include the VIN.
NOTE: Dealers can identify if any of their new and used inventory has any open campaigns in the Vehicle Inventory Summary available in Dealer Daily (https://dealerdaily.toyota.com/). The Vehicle Inventory Summary may take up to 4 hours to populate information for newly launched campaigns.
Toyota Certified Used Vehicle (TCUV)
The TCUV policy prohibits the certification of any vehicle with an outstanding Safety Recall, Special Service Campaign, or Limited Service Campaign. Thus, no affected units are to be designated, sold, or delivered as a TCUV until all applicable Safety Recalls, Special Service Campaigns, and Limited Service Campaigns have been completed on that vehicle.
Toyota Rent-A-Car (TRAC) & Service Loaners
Toyota requests that dealers remove all TRAC and Service Loaner vehicles from service that are covered by a Safety Recall unless the defect has been remedied.
Customer Handling, Parts Ordering, and Remedy Procedures
Customer Contacts
Customers who receive the owner letter may contact your dealership with questions regarding the letter and/or the Safety Recall. Please welcome them to your dealership and answer any questions that they may have. A Q&A is provided to assure a consistent message is communicated.
Customers with additional questions or concerns are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1-888-270-9371) Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday 7:00 am to 4:30 pm Central Time.
Media Contacts
It is imperative that all media contacts (local and national) receive a consistent message. In this regard, all media contacts must be directed to Tania Saldana (859) 815-9968 in Toyota Corporate Communications. Please do not provide this number to customers. Please provide this contact only to media.
Parts Ordering Process – Non SET and GST Parts Ordering Process
Due to potentially limited availability, the parts may have been placed on either Manual Allocation Control (MAC) or Dealer Ordering Solutions (DOS). As the parts inventory changes, the ordering process may change. Please check the Toyota Special Activities MAC/DOS report on Dealer Daily for the most up-to-date parts ordering information.
All Safety Recall, Service Campaign (SSC/LSC) parts are eligible for the Monthly Parts Return Program. Please refer to PANT Bulletin 2011-087for campaign parts that are currently returnable under the Monthly Parts Return Program and for additional details.
| Description | Quantity | Part Number |
|---|---|---|
| Belt Assy, FR Seat, Inner RH | 1 as needed* | 73230-07021-A0 |
| 73230-07021-B0 | ||
| 73230-07021-C0 | ||
| 73230-AC091-A0 | ||
| 73230-AC091-B0 | ||
| 73230-AC091-C0 | ||
| Belt Assy, FR Seat, Inner LH | 1 as needed* | 73240-AC061-A0 |
| 73240-AC061-B0 | ||
| 73240-AC061-C0 |
*Parts are only required if the result of the inspection requires part replacement. Please refer to the Technical Instructions for more detail.
Technician Training Requirements
The repair quality of covered vehicles is extremely important to Toyota. All dealership technicians performing this repair are required to successfully complete the most current version of the E-Learning course “Safety Recall and Service Campaign Essentials”. To ensure that all vehicles have the repair performed correctly, technicians performing this repair are required to currently hold at least one of the following certification levels:
|
|
Always check which technicians can perform the repair by logging on to https://www.uotdealerreports.com. It is the dealership’s responsibility to select technicians with the above certification level or greater to perform this repair. Carefully review your resources, the technician skill level, and ability before assigning technicians to this repair. It is important to consider technician days off and vacation schedules to ensure there are properly trained technicians available to perform this repair at all times.
Remedy Procedures
Refer to TIS for Technical Instructions on repair. Conduct all non-completed Safety Recalls and Service Campaigns on the vehicle during the time of appointment.
Repair Quality Confirmation
The repair quality of covered vehicles is extremely important to Toyota. To help ensure that all vehicles have the repair performed correctly, please designate at least one associate (someone other than the individual who performed the repair) to verify the repair quality of every vehicle prior to customer delivery.
Warranty Reimbursement Procedures
Warranty Reimbursement Procedure
 |
| Op Code | Description | Flat Rate Hours |
|---|---|---|
| J0S001 | Inspect the passenger side and driver side inner belt assembly – no parts replacement
required | 0.3 hr/vehicle |
| J0S002 | Inspect the passenger side and driver side inner belt assembly +
Replace the passenger side inner seat belt latch assembly | 0.8 hr/vehicle |
| J0S003 | Inspect the passenger side and driver side inner belt assembly +
Replace the driver side inner seat belt latch assembly | 0.7 hr/vehicle |
| J0S004 | Inspect the passenger side and driver side inner belt assembly +
Replace the passenger side and driver side inner seat belt latch assembly | 1.1 hr/vehicle |
- The flat rate times include 0.1 hours for administrative cost per unit for the dealership.
- If parts are unavailable, a loaner vehicle or alternative transportation through the Toyota Rent-A-Car (TRAC) can be claimed up to a maximum of 2 days as a sublet type “RT” under Op Code J0S002, J0S003, J0S004. o Rental invoice MUST be attached to all rental claims. These claims may be subject to debit if rental invoice is not attached.
Claim Filing Accuracy and Correction Requests
It is the dealer’s responsibility to file claims correctly for this Safety Recall. This claim filing information is used by Toyota for various government reporting activities; therefore, claim filing accuracy is crucial. If it has been identified that a claim has been filed using an incorrect Op Code or a claim has been filed for an incorrect VIN, refer to Warranty Procedure Bulletin PRO17-03 to correct the claim.
Customer Reimbursement
Reimbursement consideration instructions will be included in the owner letter.
| Campaign Designation / Phase Decoder |
 |
| Examples:
C1B = Launched in 2012, Interim Phase, 2nd Campaign Launched in 2012 |
Please review this entire package with your Service and Parts staff to familiarize them with the proper stepby-step procedures required to implement this Safety Recall.
Thank you for your cooperation.
TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.
SAFETY RECALL J0S Remedy Notice
Certain 2012 Model Year Avalon
Front Seat Belt Buckle Inspection and Replacement
Frequently Asked Questions
Original Publication Date: August 29, 2018
| Q1: | What is the condition? | ||||||
| A1:
| Due to a service part manufacturing error, some vehicles may have had a front seat belt buckle replaced with one that does not correctly identify whether the seat belt is buckled. This could affect how the airbag system determines the appropriate airbag deployment method in a crash and could increase the risk of injury to the occupant where the seat belt buckle was replaced.
Q1a: Are there any warnings that this condition exists? A1a: Yes, if an affected part is installed in the front passenger seat, the vehicle will constantly illuminate “AIR BAG OFF” indicator lights regardless of seat belt buckle latched condition and occupant weight. If an affected part is installed at the driver’s seat, there are no warnings. | ||||||
| Q2: | What is Toyota going to do? | ||||||
| A2:
| Toyota will send an owner notification by first class mail starting in mid-September 2018, advising owners to make an appointment with their authorized Toyota dealer to have both front seat belt buckles inspected and replaced if any buckle is affected by this condition FREE OF CHARGE. | ||||||
| Q3: | Which and how many vehicles are covered by this Safety Recall? | ||||||
| A3: | There are approximately 19,400 vehicles covered by this Safety Recall.
| ||||||
|
| Q3a: Are there any other Lexus/Toyota/Scion vehicles covered by this Safety Recall in the U.S.?
A3a: No, there are no other Lexus/Toyota | ||||||
| Q4: | How long will the repair take? | ||||||
| A4:
| The inspection will take approximately forty-five minutes. If it is determined based on the inspection that the seat belt buckle(s) require replacement, the repair will take approximately one hour. However, depending upon the dealer’s work schedule, it may be necessary to make the vehicle available for a longer period of time. | ||||||
| Q5: | What if I previously paid for repairs related to this Safety Recall? | ||||||
| A5: | Reimbursement consideration instructions will be provided in the owner letter. | ||||||
| Q6: | How does Toyota obtain my mailing information? | ||||||
| A6:
| Toyota uses an industry provider who works with each state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to receive registration or title information, based upon the DMV records. Please make sure your registration or title information is correct. | ||||||
| Q7: | What if I have additional questions or concerns? | ||||||
| A7: | If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1888-270-9371 Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday 7:00 am to 4:30 pm Central Time. |
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
FOR
SAFETY RECALL J0S
FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE
INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT
CERTAIN 2012 AVALON
SAFETY RECALL J0S Remedy Notice
August 29, 2018
DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT
August 29, 2018
Recall Acknowledgement
September 10, 2018
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