NHTSA Complaint #11711380 — 2023 TOYOTA PRIUS

Body / Liftgate The rear hatch unexpectedly dropped and fell on my head while the vehicle was stationary. The right-side rear hatch gas strut separated from the body at the mounting point. The left-side rear hatch gas strut had also shown signs of imminent failure and subsequently broke near its mounting point. This resulted in loss of hatch support and uncontrolled closure, creating a risk of head and upper-body injury. The failure appears related to structural stress at the strut mounting locations, not misuse. Seat Belt – Rear Center Passenger The rear center passenger seat belt upper cover can be easily pulled off by passengers, which breaks the plastic retaining tab. When the tab breaks, plastic fragments fall into the seat belt mechanism, causing the belt to jam and fail to retract properly. This results in impaired seat belt function, which is a safety concern for rear passengers. The vehicle has not been modified, and the failure occurred during normal use. Vehicle mileage at time of incident was approximately 150,000 miles. The rear center passenger seat belt issue has been present since the vehicle was new. The rear center passenger seat belt mechanism was replaced twice by the dealer during the warranty period, with one replacement performed as a goodwill repair after Toyota Corporate declined coverage. Despite these repairs, the same issue reoccurred, indicating a persistent design-related vulnerability rather than isolated misuse. The issue results in seat belt jamming and failure to retract, which is a safety concern.