NHTSA Complaint #10098791 — 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OF OUR 2004 CAMRY REPEATEDLY DISENGAGES. THE DEALERSHIP HAS RE-CALIBRATED THE COMPUTER FIVE TIMES NOW AND THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER SAYS THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO TOYOTA BUT THEIR ENGINEERS HAVE NOT FIGURED OUT HOW TO FIX IT. THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE ANY PARTS, SAYING THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY PARTS THAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM AND THEY'D JUST BE "THROWING PARTS" AT IT. THEY ALSO CLAIM THE LEMON LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS PROBLEM SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT REPLACING PARTS BUT SIMPLY RE-CALIBRATING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO PUT IN HERE FOR INCIDENT DATE BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY. I WILL USE THE LAST ONE BELOW, BUT THIS IS A REPAIR WE'VE HAD TO SEEK AGAIN FIVE TIMES. THE ONLY REASON WE HAVE NOT HAD TO SEEK IT MORE THAN THAT IS THAT NORMALLY MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR ALONE AND RARELY HAS A PASSENGER. THE AIRBAG ONLY DISENGAGES WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER. IT APPEARS THERE MAY BE SOME CONNECTION BETWEEN SEATBELT USE AND PUTTING CAR IN OR OUT OF GEAR. THIS LAST TIME IT WENT OUT WE WERE STUCK IN TRAFFIC FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. AT ONE POINT THE PASSENGER RELEASED THE SEATBELT. WE WERE TAKING THE CAR IN AND OUT OF GEAR EVERY 5-10 MINUTES TO MOVE JUST A FEW YARDS. ANOTHER TIME THE AIRBAG DISENGAGED WAS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR. WE HAD PULLED INTO A REST AREA. I WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND GOT OUT. MY WIFE LATER MOVED THE CAR (DRIVING) AND WAS WAITING FOR ME TO GET BACK IN WITH THE CAR RUNNING, IN GEAR. WHEN I GOT BACK IN, SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE NOTICED THE AIRBAG DISENGAGE LIGHT CAME ON. *JB