2021 Lexus Rx

Component or System That Failed: The rear passenger seatbelt on the right side of a 2021 Lexus RX 450h malfunctioned during a collision. It is still in the vehicle, which is available for inspection upon request. How Safety Was Put at Risk: The seatbelt failed to restrain my son, who was seated in a booster seat and weighs approximately 78 lbs. During the collision, he flew forward and struck the front passenger seat and center console with his chest and upper abdomen. This malfunction could have caused severe injuries, and while his injuries appear minor, it posed a significant risk to his safety. Problem Reproduced or Confirmed: The seatbelt’s failure has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. However, the seatbelt remains fully extended and does not retract, indicating a potential defect. Inspections Conducted: The issue has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or a service center. Police were present at the accident scene but did not specifically inspect the seatbelt. Warning Lamps or Messages: No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms indicated a problem with the seatbelt prior to the collision. Best Assessment: Based on observations and my son’s account of the incident, it appears the seatbelt retractor mechanism failed to lock during the collision, which is a critical safety feature. I am submitting this report to ensure the potential defect is investigated to prevent similar occurrences in other vehicles.

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while attempting to remove the [XXX] child from the rear passenger seat the rear passenger seat belt had become entangled around the child's torso and was extremely difficult to remove causing severe distress to the child and the child experienced difficulty breathing. The contact used scissors to cut the seatbelt which freed the child. During the incident, the child sustained bruising of the back and torso which did not require medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Motor Vehicle accident with damage to vehicle front end and drivers side quarter panel. Vehicle was not drivable and required towing service at the scene. Front seat belts of the vehicle failed to engage resulting in the driver being bounced up in the seat and then down resulting in a serious compression fracture of the vertebrae of the spine. An inspection was completed of the vehicle by a third party and reported to the Toyota Claims department on August 19, 2022. Toyota did respond with notification related to the results of the inspections to include: "The seatbelts were found to be operational. The front drivers' and passengers' seatbelt ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor) were tested and found to be operational. The EDR readout recorded that the drivers' and passengers' front seat belts were buckled at the time of the incident, and the seat belt pretensioners were not commanded to deploy. The owners manual advises that the pretensioners help the seat belts to quickly restrain the occupants by retracting the seat belts when the vehicle is subjected to certain types of severe frontal or side collision or a vehicle rollover." The owners manual related to seat belts on page 28 also documents that "the pretensioners do not activate in the event of a minor frontal impact, a minor side impact or a rear impact." NTSB Safety Alert SA-005 July 2012 documents "What can you do to save lives and reduce injuries? Make sure seat belts are worn by everyone in your vehicle and talk to your state and local lawmakers and urge them to support NTSB recommendations for seatbelt use laws." Why encourage all to use seat belts if they do not engage in the event of an accident and the general public believes that the seat belt will engage in the event of an accident, again to help prevent not only death but serious injuries... Al Law related to seatbelts, section 32-5B-4; Requirement of front seat occupants of passenger car must be fastened about body when car is in motion.

I was involved in a single car accident in which the vehicle went off of the road hit an embankment and the vehicle bounced. The front drivers side hip and shoulder seat belt did not engage, and sustained a compression fracture to the vertebrae. The passenger front seat belt at the hip did engage with the sudden stop but the shoulder harness did not engage. The back seat passenger seat belt did fully engage and resulted in seat belt markings to the right shoulder and clavicle area of the passenger requiring evaluation at the Emergency Department. The rear seat passenger did have the Live 360 app and the mobile app did respond to the sudden stop and alerted the passenger if 911 was needed.