NHTSA Complaint #11662305 — 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

My vehicle: 2003 4Runner SR5 2WD VIN: [XXX] Issue: Front driver's side door will not open. Electronic locks are operating, but the door release is not functioning. Safety Concern: What if I was in a situation where I did need to get out of the vehicle immediately? Such as a high-water incident, fire, etc. Especially for a person [XXX], as myself, this would be a big issue. When attempting to exit the car after pulling into the driveway, I could not open the driver's door. The locks would release, but the door latch would not. I had to crawl over the console to get out through the passenger side. This was not easy as I had back fusion surgery and 8 disc replaced, fused. I had to open the sunroof to help with get over and out. After I did get out, I tried the key in the driver's door, it would actuate the door locks on all doors, but the driver's side door latch would still not release. I even disconnected the battery and reconnected. No help. And after knowing more, it was not an electrical issue, but mechanical failure. I now have it at the repair shop after talking with Toyota Service manage who admitted it was a poor design as the repair for this is to destroy the door panel to get to the actuator to attempt to release the door latch. The estimate for this work is 1,150.00. I am beyond frustration, and especially when I see there is no recall for this issue. There are penty of conversations on this same issue on 4Runner forums as well as all over YouTube. Thank you for looking into this. You can reach me at: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)