NHTSA Complaint #10303113 — 2008 TOYOTA MATRIX

ON THE EVENING OF JANUARY 26, 2010, I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 TOYOTA MATRIX AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER DRIVER. PRIOR TO THE CRASH, I HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT ROUGHLY 35 MPH. THERE WERE NO OTHER PEOPLE IN MY CAR AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE IMPACT WAS GREAT ENOUGH FOR THE DRIVER AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. THE REAR SEATS ARE A 60/40 SPLIT; THE 60 SIDE HELD A CHILD'S BOOSTER SEAT AND THE 40 SIDE HELD A CHILD'S CARSEAT. BOTH SIDES WERE LOCKED INTO PLACE PRIOR TO THE CRASH. AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH, THE 60 SIDE FLEW FORWARD, SMASHING THE BOOSTER SEAT IN BETWEEN THE FRONT SEAT AND THE, NOW FLAT, REAR SEAT. THE 40 SIDE REMAINED IN PLACE, DUE TO THE CARSEAT BEING LOCKED INTO PLACE, HOWEVER WHEN THE CARSEAT WAS REMOVED, I DETERMINED THAT THE 40 SIDE OF THE REAR SEAT WAS NOT LOCKED INTO PLACE, JUST LIKE THE 60 SIDE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CAR IS MOST LIKELY CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. *TR