Toyota recalls 1.85 million RAV4s – but not in Australia

Toyota is recalling 1,854,000 examples of its 2013-18 RAV4 in the US for a potential fire risk, but owners of Australian-market models are in the clear.

“The recall for the Toyota RAV4 announced in the US does not affect Australian-delivered vehicles,” said a Toyota Australia spokesperson.

Toyota says some replacement 12-volt batteries used in RAV4s have smaller top dimensions than others, which means if the hold-down clamp isn’t tightened correctly, the battery could be jostled during sharper turns.

This in turn could cause the positive battery terminal to contact the hold-down clamp and short circuit, posing a fire risk.

Toyota will replace the battery hold-down clamp, battery tray and positive terminal cover for free for all affected vehicles.

Australian-market RAV4s are sourced from Japan. The previous XA40 generation was produced in Canada for US consumption, although 50 per cent of its parts were sourced from overseas.

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