Jan. 31, 2014—Toyota has told North American dealers to stop selling six popular models with heated seats because a soft material beneath the seat covers doesn't comply with U.S. safety codes and potentially could catch fire, according to a report from The Associated Press.
The AP reported that the order affects 36,000 cars, trucks and minivans. That’s about 13 percent of the inventory on dealer lots in the U.S., Toyota spokesman John Hanson told the AP.
No fires or injuries have been reported, but Toyota can't legally sell the cars with the faulty fabric in them. Dealers can’t sell certain Camry (the top-selling car in the U.S. with more than 408,000 sales last year), Avalon, Sienna and Tacoma models with heated seats from the 2013 and 2014 model years, as well as Corollas and Tundras from 2014.
There is no concrete date set for when repairs will be completed, though replacement material is being manufactured and installed for in-production vehicle in factories.
Dealers will use new material to fix cars already on lots. No recall will be made for Toyota vehicles on the road since there have been no fires.
Also affected are additional vehicles in Canada, Mexico, Korea, Israel and other countries.
