NHTSA Complaint #11487212 — 2021 LEXUS RX

Motor Vehicle accident with damage to vehicle front end and drivers side quarter panel. Vehicle was not drivable and required towing service at the scene. Front seat belts of the vehicle failed to engage resulting in the driver being bounced up in the seat and then down resulting in a serious compression fracture of the vertebrae of the spine. An inspection was completed of the vehicle by a third party and reported to the Toyota Claims department on August 19, 2022. Toyota did respond with notification related to the results of the inspections to include: "The seatbelts were found to be operational. The front drivers' and passengers' seatbelt ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor) were tested and found to be operational. The EDR readout recorded that the drivers' and passengers' front seat belts were buckled at the time of the incident, and the seat belt pretensioners were not commanded to deploy. The owners manual advises that the pretensioners help the seat belts to quickly restrain the occupants by retracting the seat belts when the vehicle is subjected to certain types of severe frontal or side collision or a vehicle rollover." The owners manual related to seat belts on page 28 also documents that "the pretensioners do not activate in the event of a minor frontal impact, a minor side impact or a rear impact." NTSB Safety Alert SA-005 July 2012 documents "What can you do to save lives and reduce injuries? Make sure seat belts are worn by everyone in your vehicle and talk to your state and local lawmakers and urge them to support NTSB recommendations for seatbelt use laws." Why encourage all to use seat belts if they do not engage in the event of an accident and the general public believes that the seat belt will engage in the event of an accident, again to help prevent not only death but serious injuries... Al Law related to seatbelts, section 32-5B-4; Requirement of front seat occupants of passenger car must be fastened about body when car is in motion.