As you might have seen these past couple of weeks, BMW filed a set of recall documents for the 2020 Toyota Supra with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall involved seven cars with potentially faulty seat-belt guide-loop mounts, and the documents were published last month.
There were a lot of things that stood out with the recall: One, BMW filed it, adding to the jokes; two, the recall only spanned seven cars; and we just now noticed the third one thanks to Ohio news station WBNS, which came in the “Remedy” section of the documents:
The vehicles will be inspected and if a defective seat belt guide loop mount is found, the vehicle will be replaced.
Wait, what was that? A little louder, please:
The vehicles will be inspected and if a defective seat belt guide loop mount is found, the vehicle will be replaced.
One more time, just so we’re sure:
[...] the vehicle will be replaced.
The seven-vehicle recall was, again, for the seat-belt guide-loop mount on the driver’s side of the Supra. BMW said in the recall that it might not have been “welded to specifications,” and that if it isn’t welded correctly, the mount could get damaged in a “crash of sufficient severity” and not restrain the driver as it’s supposed to. That would increase risk of injury.
Documents said BMW became aware of “potentially missing welding spots” on a vehicle’s safety-belt guide-loop mount at the assembly plant in June, and that it was later found that the supplier used inadequate parts for the welding tool. There haven’t been any reports of crashes or injuries related to the issue, the documents said.
The recall documents emphasize that the remedy—to replace entire vehicles free of charge, if they’re found to have defective mounts—is due to the fact that the issue stems from defective welds instead of parts that can be easily replaced. A Toyota representative confirmed the plan to replace the cars if necessary to Jalopnik, but didn’t comment further on any details.
So, if your new Supra is included in this recall, maybe don’t get too attached just yet. You kids may be parting ways quite soon.