Toyota Yaris cars are being recalled as part of a worldwide callback of about 1.35 million vehicles due to a seatbelt defect.

The local distributors, Michael Debono Ltd, said they had already started issuing letters and giving appointments to owners of the vehicles for the faulty seatbelt component to be checked and replaced.

"I can assure you that we are treating this matter with utmost urgency and we will be doing our best to ensure that all affected vehicles are fixed as quickly as possible," a company spokesman for the company said.

He said the company is expecting details about the precise nature of the fault from Toyota.

The exact number of cars affected could not be given either because the company is still working on a database of the affected cars.

According to a number of foreign news reports, the models affected include Yaris hatchbacks and sedans manufactured between November 2005 and April 2007.

The Japanese car manufacturer made the recall decision because of fears that a safety component in the seat belt could cause a fire if the vehicle is involved in a high-speed collision.

Toyota has been quoted as saying that some of the vehicles sold in Japan may also have problems with a pipe in the exhaust system that could crack due to heat.

According to the various media reports, the procedure to correct the fault should not take more than an hour and should be performed free of charge.

Although the worldwide recall also affects second-hand imports, like those from Japan, these do not fall under the responsibility of Michael Debono Ltd and will receive notification from the Consumer Division. It is not yet known how these will be repaired and whether it will be done at a cost.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com