Toyota Motor Co. said Wednesday it would recall 345,000 Sienna minivans because the seat belt in some seating positions may become difficult to retract when unbuckled.
The company said there was a possibility the shoulder portion of the seat belt in the middle row seats may get stuck in a plastic piece that the belt glides through, binding it up and making it difficult to put it on or take it off, said spokeswoman Allison Takahashi.
The voluntary recall in the United States involves Siennas from the 2004 and 2005 model years. The company had received 14 complaints but there have been no accidents or injuries from the problem, Takahashi said.
The problem has affected the right side chair in the middle row of the seven-passenger model and the center seating position in the second bench seat in eight-passenger models.
The company will notify owners beginning in mid-August. They will be told to contact their local dealer to replace the seat belt piece, known as a bezel. The repair will be free.
Toyota was also recalling about 2,500 Tundra Access Cab pickup trucks from the 2005 model year because the wrong lens was installed over a light that glows when the front passenger air bag has been activated or deactivated. As a result, passengers could not monitor its status.
That recall is also expected to begin in mid-August and owners will not be charged for the upgrade.
In August 2003, Toyota recalled more than 30,000 Sienna minivans from the 2004 model year because of concern that the fuel tank was prone to damage and could cause a fire.
