2001 Toyota Sienna

TOYOTA SIENNA HAS AIR BAG FLASHING, IT JUST LAST 12/12/20014, SO I BROUGHT IT TO FREMONT TOYOTA FOR CHECK UP AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE FLASHING AIR BAG ASK THEM IF IF IS PART OF TOYOTA AIR BAG RECALL. THEY CHARGE ME $152.00 TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM. AFTER 2 HRS, THEY SAY, THEY NEED MORE HOURS TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND THEY ARE CHARGING ME ANOTHER $152.00. I THOUGHT THE $152.00 IN THE FIRST PLACE THEY TELL YOU THE PROBLEM.IS THIS RIGHT WHEN THEY ESTIMATE THE HOUR. THEY CAN DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. TO PAY EXTRA I DON"T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY.. IS THIS AIR BAG PROBLEM IS TOYOTA RECALL. I AM AFRAID FOR MY FAMILY SAFETY. THANKS: CONRAD

ON OCTOBER 28,2006, MY SON AND I RETURNED TO THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE NC STATE HIGHWAY PATROL DRIVING TRACK. ONCE THROUGH REGISTRATION, WE RE-ENTERED THE 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DID NOT USE THE SEAT BELTS, SINCE WE COULD SEE THE SPOT WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED. SOMETIME DURING THIS MOVE, I MUST HAVE HAD A SEIZURE, SINCE THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER IS SOMEONE HELPING ME OUT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. ONCE AT THE HOSPITAL, I LAPSED INTO A COMA, WHICH WAS TO LAST FOR THE NEXT 18 DAYS. ONCE I WOKE UP, I WAS TOLD THAT MY SON HAD DIED, AND WAS BURIED. IT WAS STATED TO ME THAT WE WEREN'T WEARING OUR SEAT BELTS. I SAID, "WHAT ABOUT THE AIRBAGS?" THEY HADN'T DEPLOYED, IT TURNED OUT. I REALIZE THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SAFE IF WE HAD BEEN WEARING OUR SEAT BELTS. BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED, SINCE THE ESTIMATED SPEED AT TIME OF IMPACT WAS 50 MPH. SINCE WE HAD GONE THROUGH A CREEK, AND SLAMMED INTO THE OPPOSITE CREEK BANK IN A BASIC HEAD ON COLLISION. I ALSO KNOW THAT THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT IF THE AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED, SINCE BOTH MY SON AND I SUSTAINED TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES (TBI'S) . ONCE I WAS ABLE TO USE A COMPUTER, I RESEARCHED AIRBAG FAILURES IN TOYOTA VEHICLES, AND FOUND NUMEROUS INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF OTHER PEOPLES'S EXPERIENCE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM - FAILURE OF THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY, WHEN IT WAS CLEARLY OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE NEEDED. I ALSO WONDERED ABOUT THE COMMONALITY OF THE PROBLEM, AND BEGAN TO SUSPECT A COMPANY-WIDE POLICY TO MAKE IT VERY HARD FOR THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY, SINCE IT WAS A HOT TOPIC THEN TO TALK ABOUT AIRBAGS AS AN ENEMY, SINCE SOME REPORTS WERE NOTING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES ATTRIBUTED TO THE AIRBAGS' MIS-DEPLOYMENT. I AM NOT AT PEACE WITH THE TOYOTA COMPANY'S USUAL DENIAL OF ANYTHING NOT WORKING PERFECTLY AND PROPERLY AND THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVING THEIR AIRBAGS.

AFTER STOPPING FOR REGISTRATION, MY SON AND I GOT BACK INTO OUR 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN TO CONTINUE ON TO OUR PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED SITE AT A CUB SCOUTS "JAMBOREE". I THINK THAT I HAD A SEIZURE (I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING AT THIS TIME). NEITHER I NOR MY CHILD WAS BUCKLED IN, AND WE TRAVELED ACROSS A FIELD AND ACROSS A SMALL CREEK, WITH THE END RESULT THE HEAD-ON COLLISION INTO THE FAR SIDE OF THE CREEK. I WAS BADLY INJURED, AND MY SON WAS DECLARED "BRAIN DEAD" 5 DAYS LATER. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND I AM NOW REPORTING IT BECAUSE IF THEY HAD, WE MAY HAVE HAD AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT RESULT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM, I DISCOVERED THAT THE FAILURE TO DEPLOY AIR BAGS WAS CITED BY A PREVIOUS AUTHOR. I AM INTRIGUED, TO SAY THE LEAST.... *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH A VEHICLE PULLED OUT AT AN INTERSECTION RESULTING IN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE HITTING THE OTHER VEHICLE IN THE SIDE. THERE WAS PRE-IMPACT BRAKING. THIS WAS A FRONTAL IMPACT. THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WAS PUSHED UP TO THE ENGINE, HOWEVER THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE SEAT BELTS WERE IN USE HOWEVER INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED TO THE DRIVER. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT BEEN ALERTED. THE POLICE WERE ALERTED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE POLICE REPORT STATED THERE WERE NO INJURIES. UPDATED 07/28/06. *JB