The defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
The risk
Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
The remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Toyota 4Runner | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Avalon | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Toyota Camry | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Corolla | 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota FJ Cruiser | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Prius | 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Sequoia | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Sienna | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Tundra | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Toyota Venza | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
Components: SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota 4Runner | 2007 | 154 | 5 |
| Toyota 4Runner | 2008 | 96 | 5 |
| Toyota 4Runner | 2009 | 22 | 6 |
| Toyota 4Runner | 2010 | 147 | 12 |
| Toyota 4Runner | 2011 | 163 | 10 |
| Toyota Avalon | 2006 | 360 | 7 |
| Toyota Avalon | 2007 | 243 | 6 |
| Toyota Avalon | 2008 | 349 | 6 |
| Toyota Avalon | 2009 | 91 | 7 |
| Toyota Avalon | 2010 | 46 | 7 |
| Toyota Camry | 2006 | 317 | 5 |
| Toyota Camry | 2007 | 2,888 | 9 |
| Toyota Camry | 2008 | 933 | 7 |
| Toyota Camry | 2009 | 1,293 | 10 |
| Toyota Camry | 2010 | 604 | 9 |
| Toyota Camry | 2011 | 601 | 5 |
| Toyota Corolla | 2010 | 1,244 | 17 |
| Toyota Corolla | 2011 | 584 | 9 |
| Toyota FJ Cruiser | 2007 | 593 | 8 |
| Toyota FJ Cruiser | 2008 | 124 | 9 |
| Toyota FJ Cruiser | 2009 | 7 | 10 |
| Toyota FJ Cruiser | 2010 | 66 | 10 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2006 | 278 | 7 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2007 | 124 | 4 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2008 | 405 | 11 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2009 | 134 | 9 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2010 | 216 | 10 |
| Toyota Highlander | 2011 | 181 | 5 |
| Toyota Prius | 2010 | 2,823 | 10 |
| Toyota Prius | 2011 | 521 | 6 |
Other seats recalls in 2014
23 of the 770 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2014 concerned the seats; Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC filed 26 campaigns in all.
| 14V804000 19 Dec 2014 | General Motors LLC |
| 14V769000 3 Dec 2014 | Nova Bus |
| 14V756000 26 Nov 2014 | Allied Recreation Group, Inc. |
| 14V753000 25 Nov 2014 | Aston Martin Lagonda of North America |
| 14V748000 24 Nov 2014 | Champion Bus, Inc. |
| 14V721000 10 Nov 2014 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 14V710000 7 Nov 2014 | Ford Motor Company |
| 14V670000 24 Oct 2014 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2014