2021 Toyota Redundant Sienna

There is a recall on the passenger side airbag sensor of this vehicle. The time it is taking to get it fixed is UNACCEPTABLE. Toyota makes new vehicles with working components. They care more about money than lives. Since the recall includes the air bag, people will die before this gets fixed. Toyota's solution is to tell us to not use the front passenger seat. That is ridiculous; this is a family vehicle and all seats are needed. We have contacted Toyota twice in which we have been advised to rent a car - for 2 years - and we will "probably" be reimbursed - after the recall is all fixed. We do not have the space for another car or the desire to put that much money up front into a rental car. We could sell the van and buy a newer one but would lose a lot of money in doing so, nor could we in good conscience sell this vehicle to anyone else. In our latest conversation with Toyota, we were told that the first customers to have access to the recall fix would be this September, but since we live in Utah, it would not be available to us until 2026! What? That is DISCRIMINATION. If the fix is available, it should be given to all who need it. I can't believe how Toyota is treating their customers, especially when the recall can be life-threatening.

This recall has been open for 7 months and a remedy has still not been issued - this doesn’t seem reasonable for a safety concern. I have also several times experienced a failure in the “extra” 8th passenger seat (middle row middle seat) sensor - it alarms that the seat belt isn’t buckled even when that seat is not in use and not even installed at the time.

The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the remedy to repair the recall was not available. The contact stated while driving from a stop light, another vehicle crashed into the driver’s front side door. The contact mentioned the other driver failed to stop at the red light which caused the crash. The air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Air Bag System malfunctioned and the air bag light was illuminated. The contact sustained a neck injury and hit her head. The front passenger sustained back inquires and both required medical attention. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Keep in mind: BRAND NEW SIENNA!!! 1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -The main and MOST important component was the ENTIRE airbag system which displayed "malfunctioned" ONLY AFTER the collision. The TPCS (Toyota Pre-Collision System) also was defaulted to "OFF" and said that the sonar malfunctioned. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -VERY COMPROMISED! My whole family and my children would've been seriously injured or departed from this world had we not had the seat belt on and the way it all played out! All of the airbags, including the driver's knee airbag, passenger seat cushion airbag, front seat side airbags, rear outboard seat side airbags, and curtain side airbags for all three rows , malfunctioned and car was in a standstill on the fastest left lane #1 on I-95 with no cushioning or failsafe mechanism active 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -NO, and Toyota was very quick and desperate to get their hands on my vehicle and to get me to sign their authorization instead of wait. As a computer scientist, I know when information systems can be exploited/manipulated and all my driving data and accident/metadata is collected constantly by Toyota so in short: "NO TRANSPARENCY" 4.Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -YES, two very biased partisans involve: The liable party's insurance (AllState) and Toyota Motor Co. So I need some nonpartisan assessment/evaluation ASAP 5. Any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? -Nope! NO warning lamps, NO vehicle health messages, NO Toyota App notification PRIOR to the accident. Everything mentioned in the last sentence went haywire EXACTLY AFTER the collision and displayed lamps/played warning alarms non stop. Refer to uploaded files.