NHTSA Complaint #11514122 — 2023 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

On 2/21/2023, my parents jumped into the backseat of my parked car and began putting on their seatbelts. They were met with resistance and were unable to retract their seatbelts. This was very arcane because I seldom have any backseat passengers and I don't load any heavy cargo into my car. Moreover, I went into my backseat and retracted the rear seatbelts, except for the middle backseat, slowly enough to expose the part of the belt webbing that was torn. On both sides of my rear seatbelts, the webbing of the belts is torn. This is perplexing because I never utilize my rear seatbelts, I don't load any type of heavy cargo that would put pressure on the seatbelts, and my car is brand new. I bought my brand new 2023 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro on 9/23/22. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I first noticed the problem on 2/21/23. My safety and the safety of others were at risk because my capricious rear seatbelts could have malfunctioned at any given moment. I'm thankful that I discovered the insidious problem while parked in my driveway. I have contacted my local dealership at Longo Toyota in El Monte, CA about this safety issue and they don't know anything about this problem being reproduced or confirmed. I have not had my vehicle inspected by a Toyota Dealership because they quoted me $175 for inspection and consultation, which I thought was an avaricious price. Also, I work 12-hour shifts as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiac ICU and it's difficult to arrange an appointment because of my work schedule. I believe this is a manufacturer's issue. I believe that the seat belts were manufactured with an incorrect component, which caused the seat belts to "bunch" and eventually lead to the tearing of the seat belts' webbing. Very similar to this prior safety recall on Toyota Siennas. https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-is-conducting-a-safety-recall-involving-certain-toyota-vehicles-6/ Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION