Toyota to recall more than 1.35 million cars worldwide

Toyota has announced the recall of more that 1.35 million cars, over a third of which are in Japan.  The worldwide recall affects owners of the Toyota Vitz - also called the Yaris, Toyota Belta, and Toyota Ractis, from model years 2005 through 2008.

The Japanese automaker issued the service bulletin so they can fix either a faulty seatbelt, bad exhaust, or both.  One instance of fire was reportedly caused by the defective seatbelt, when a noise-absorber melted after the tensioner activated during a collision.

Although it is not yet believed to have occured, the exhaust-gas recirculation pipe could be prone to cracking.  This could lead to dirtier emissions that fail legal standards.

525,898 of the recalled Vitz, Belta, and Ractis models are in Japan.  The remaining 830,000 were exported to other markets, including Europe and North America.