NHTSA Complaint #10423043 — 2011 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

MY 2011 TOYOTA SEQUOIA ONLY HAS TWO HEIGHTS ON THE THIRD ROW HEADRESTS. THE LOWEST SETTING LAYS THE HEADREST RIGHT ON THE SEAT AND IS TOO LOW TO SUPPORT ANYONE'S HEAD. THE OTHER SETTING ON THE TWO OUTSIDE SEATS RAISES THE HEADREST ALL OF THE WAY UP WHICH IS TOO HIGH TO SUPPORT A CHILD'S HEAD. IN THAT SETTING MY CHILDREN'S HEADS HIT UNDER THE HEADREST AND ON THE METAL BARS OF THE HEADREST. THE MIDDLE SEAT'S HEADREST ONLY RAISES HALFWAY UP WHICH IS TOO SHORT TO SUPPORT THE HEAD OF AN OLDER CHILD OR AN ADULT. SINCE IT IS USUALLY CHILDREN WHO ARE SITTING IN THE THIRD ROW OF AN SUV I WOULD EXPECT THE HEADRESTS TO HAVE MANY ADJUSTABLE HEIGHTS TO THEM LIKE THE HEADRESTS IN THE OTHER TWO ROWS. I HAD A 2006 TOYOTA SEQUOIA PRIOR TO BUYING THIS CAR AND THE HEADRESTS IN THE THIRD ROW OF THAT CAR HAD NUMEROUS SETTINGS FOR THE THIRD ROW HEADRESTS. THE TOYOTA MANUAL TALKS ABOUT ADJUSTING THE HEADRESTS SO THAT THE MIDDLE OF THE HEADREST HITS THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD NEAR YOUR EARS BUT THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DO WITH THE HEADRESTS ON THE THIRD ROW. THIS WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IN A CRASH BECAUSE THE HEAD AND NECK WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY SUPPORTED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER A WEEK AGO, TWO DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR, ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. HE CONTACTED TOYOTA BUT AS OF TODAY THEY HAVE NOT GIVEN AN ANSWER AS TO WHY THE HEADRESTS WERE MADE THIS WAY OR WHAT, IF ANYTHING, THEY ARE GOING TO DO TO CORRECT THIS. *TR