2001 Toyota Sequoia

I BARELY TAPPED THR BACK OF AN OLD TOYOTA COROLLA AND AT A LOW SPEED WHERE NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO EITHER VEHICLE BESIDE MINE WHEN THE AIRBAGS UNNECESSARILY DEPLOYED AND SHATTERED MY WINDSHIELD. WHEN I TOOK IT TO MY BODY SHOP GUY HE SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THE AIRBAGS SHOULD'VE DEPLOYED HE HAD CHECKED MY SENSORS AND THEY HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED. ABOUT A MONTH AGO I TOOK MY CAR TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR SOMEONE TO COME UP FROM I BELIEVE ATLANTA AND INSPECT MY CAR. I NEVER COULD GET A RESPONSE FROM HIM. TESTERDAY I CALLED MY LOCAL TOYOTA INQUIRING ABOUT MY AIRBAGS PROBLEM AND THEY SAID YOURS WERE RECALLED NEW ONES ARE HERE BRING YOUR CAR HERE IN THE MORNING AND IT'LL TAKE ABOUT THREE HOURS TO FIX. I WAS EXCITED TO FINALLY GET SOMEWHERE WITH THIS ISSUE... THIS MORNING I TAKE MY CAR UP THERE AND THEY TELL ME THAT IT WASNT RECALLED AND TO CALL THE GUY WHO CANE DOWN AND INSPECTED IT. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE WAY THIS IS BEING HANDLED AND HOW NO ONE WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT AND FIX IT. *TR

I WAS DROPPING OFF MY WIFE AND 4 MONTH-OLD TWINS @ THE AIRPORT. SHE WAS GOING ON A VACATION W/ HER MOM AND SISTERS. WHILE GETTING HER CHECKED IN, OUR 9-YEAR-OLD TWIN GIRLS AND 3 YEAR-OLD GIRL WERE SITTING IN THE CAR. WE WERE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO THE CAR BUT COULD NOT SEE IN THE BACK W/ THE DARK TINTED WINDOWS. IN THE MEAN TIME, ONE DAUGHTER, WHO WAS SITTING IN THE 3RD ROW, MIDDLE SEAT OF OUR 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA, BECAME TANGLED IN THE AUTOMATICALLY LATCHED SEATBELT. AS SHE ATTEMPTED TO GET FREE, SHE ONLY GOT FURTHER TWISTED. HER TWIN SISTER THEN YELLED TO US, HER PARENTS. WE OPENED THE TRUNK AND FOUND HER PURPLE AND STRUGGLING TO BREATHE. THE WORST THING IS THAT WE COULDN'T UNLATCH THE BELT, NOR COULD WE UNTANGLE HER. WE STARTED YELLING FOR SOMETHING SHARP TO CUT THE BELT (THE AIRPORT IS NOT THE BEST PLACE TO FIND SOMETHING SHARP) AND AT THE SAME TIME WE GRABBED THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION TO ATTEMPT TO STICK INTO THE LATCH IN HOPES OF UNLATCHING THE BELT IN AN ALTERNATIVE WAY. IN WHAT SEEMED AN ETERNITY OF HELPLESSNESS, THE SKY CAP FOUND SCISSORS AND CUT THE BELT... AT THE SAME TIME, I RELEASED THE BELT FROM THE LATCH W/ THE HELP OF THE KEY. JUST AS OUR DAUGHTER PASSED OUT, WE WERE ABLE TO UNTANGLE HER FROM THE BELT. FORTUNATELY, WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY GET HER BREATHING AGAIN. POLICE AND PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED. A REPORT WAS FILED. ALL COMMENTED ON THE POOR DESIGN OF THIS MIDDLE BELT! HOPEFULLY OUR NEAR TRAGEDY WITH A HAPPY ENDING WILL PREVENT ANYONE ELSE FROM A TRAGIC ENDING! PLEASE HELP US REQUIRE THIS TYPE OF BELT TO HAVE ANOTHER DESIGN W/ A SIMPLE MANUAL RELEASE! THANKS, VERNON J COOLEY, MD *TR