NHTSA Complaint #10420211 — 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA

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.