1999 Toyota Camry seat belt problems

SEAT BELTS

I TURNED ON REAR DEFROST AND WITHIN FEW SECONDS BACK SEAT WAS ON FIRE. WINDOW BURNT SEAT AND SEAT BELT ALSO BURNED HAND. IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL CAUSE. I FIGURED A FUSE WOULD BLOW PRIOR TO A FIRE INSIDE CAR. HAD I BEEN ON FWY I WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN LUCKY GAS TANK IS INCHES BELOW FIRE .

NHTSA complaint #11182504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

WHILE DRIVING ON A LONG DISTANCE DRIVE, MY 6 YEARS OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE REAR LEFT SEAT WITH HER SEAT BELT ON. SHE PULLED THE SEAT BELT ALL THE WAY OUT TO LAY DOWN AND TAKE A NAP WHILE RESTRAINED IN THE SEAT BELT. WHILE ASLEEP SHE HAD TAKEN HER HAND OUT OF HER SEAT BELT AND THE SEAT BELT WAS WRAPED AROUND HER WAIST. WHEN SHE WOKE UP, IN ORDER TO FREE HERSELF FORM THE WRAPED SEAT BELT, SHE UNBUCKLED HER SEAT BELT WHILE THE SEAT BELT WAS STILL WRAPPED AROUND HER, THIS IS WHEN THE PROBLEM HAPPEND. THE SEATBELT'S RETRACTION SYSTEM ONLY RETRACTED THE SEAT BELT IN, MAKING IT TIGHER AND TIGHTER AROUND HER STOMACH. THE RETRACTION SYSTEM DID NOT LET HER LOOSEN THE SEAT BELT. IN FURTHER EFFORT TO FREE HERSELF, SHE LIFTED HERSELF AND THE SEATBET BECAME TIGHER AROUND HER STOMACH. I PULLED ALONG THE HIGHWAY TO FREE HER FROM THE SEATBELT, BUT THE RETRACTION SYSTEM DID NOT ALLOW ME TO GET THE SEAT BELT LOOSE. I DID NOT HAVE ANY POCKET KNIFE WITH ME TO CUT THE SEAT BELT. I FINALLY FLAGED A MOTARIST WHO HAD A POCKET KNIFE AND CUT THE SEAT BELT AND FREED HER. THE SEAT BELT HAD BECOME SO TIGHT THAT SHE HAD GOTTON INJURED ALL AROUND HER WAIST AND STOMACH. IF THIS HAD HAPPEND WITH A SMALLER CHILD IT COULD HAVE EASILY KILED THE CHILD IF NOT HELPED IN TIME.

NHTSA complaint #746833 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN THERE WAS A BRAKE FAILURE, DEALER FOUND THE CALIPERS TO BE DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, AND CALIPERS, IN THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRBAGS EXPERIENCED NO DEPLOYMENT AND THE SEATBELTS DID NOT WORK, PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *SLC

NHTSA complaint #556780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 45MPH, AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ALSO, SEAT BELT DID NOT RETRACT, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.

NHTSA complaint #859654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING WHEN SHE RAN INTO THE BACK OF PICKUP TRUCK AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BUT THE SEAT BELTS DISCONNECTED, CAUSING THE CONSUMER'S CHILD TO BE THROWN FORWARD AND HIT HER HEAD. ALSO WIFE'S LEFT UPPER ARM WAS INJURED ON STEERING WHEEL.

NHTSA complaint #851541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

I WAS STOPPED WAITING FOR A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. I WAS HIT IN THE REAR BY A 1996 NISSAN MAXIMA TRAVELING IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH. THE IMPACT PUSHED MY CAMRY INTO THE REAR OF A 1989 FORD IN FRONT OF ME. MY CAMRY MADE CONTACT WITH THE FORD ON MY DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT DIRECTLY NEAR THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN MY FRONT LEFT BUMPER AREA. UPON IMPACT BY THE NISSAN IN MY REAR, MY DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARD, CAUSING ME TO SLIDE FORWARD UNDERNEATH THE DASHBOARD AND STEERING WHEEL. THE SEATBELT FAILED TO PROPERLY TENSE UP, CAUSING ME TO INJURE MY RIGHT KNEE AND MY ABDOMEN. I WAS THE ONLY DRIVER INJURED IN THIS 3-CAR ACCIDENT, BUT THE EXTENT OF MY INJURIES HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. BOTH THE AIRBAGS IN THE 1996 NISSAN DEPLOYED PROPERLY, AS WELL AS THE AIRBAG IN THE 1989 FORD, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY HIT FROM THE REAR BY MY CAMRY. TOYOTA USA HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT, AND HAS ASSURED ME THEY WILL INSPECT MY VEHICLE THIS WEEK. OBVIOUSLY, I BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED, AND THE SEAT SHOULD NOT HAVE COLLAPSED BACKWARD.

NHTSA complaint #705333 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.