Raumson

Hello to all the members of the forum, last year I bought the new Lexus IS300h in Europe Spain, and I want to check if one problem detected, appears in other lexus model from EEUU like IS250, IS 350.

The possible safety problem comes because the plastic clip guide that are placed in the rear seats of the vehicle, can be pinched the belt of the rear places.

I invite you to make a test, please take with your hands the rear seatbelt, and move several times by the external part of the plastic clip guide (the closest to the window), and see if the seat belt is pinched and stops the natural recovery of the belt.

Every expert contacted answer me that the belt always has to be in contact with the body, and NEVER, CAN BE PINCHED, leaving the belt loose. From my point of view is a big problem of safety, but I invite you to take your personal opinion about it.

Here I attach you several detailed pictures of the problem:





loose belt

the problem of the plastic guide is that the piece present a gap or with the time of several uses the gap can appear, where the belt could be pinched and stops their correct functionality:







This problem has been reported to Lexus Spain the last year, and the answer was that the problem exist (lexus Europe confirmed that this phenomenon can be reproduced in their test car) but if you seat well in the rear places the problem only appears in limited conditions, the exactly words used are:

"And if you take the seat belt off and the seat belt is pinched, you can easily release it and you can use normally again."

Yes, I know that the problem could appear only in limited conditions, but in my case I have two child seats in the rear places, that have lateral protections and it makes that the problems happens ALWAYS (because the protections makes that the belt goes to the external part of the plastic clip, the part that present the gap) when I use with my little boys the rear places, so the limited condition is my usually condition, and I think that every body that use the rear places with child seats will have the same problem as me.

And please try to explain that if the seat belt is pinched, you can easily release it and you can use normally again, to a child with one and three year old, and you will discover that is impossible, this is the reason why I try with Lexus to find a solution, because the problem appear in limited condition, but is a problem that already exist, and Lexus one year later of my report, already have no solution and the response given to me do not solves nothing.

I Invite to all menbers to make the proposed test, and if the problem can be reproduced in EEUU market or others, please take a photo and ask to your dealer if this problem is normal for them, see what are their response.

I want to advise to other drivers that this problem COULD BE APPEAR IN THEIR lexus car, and take in consideration that if one child died in an accident because this problem, LEXUS WAS INFORMED OF IT, in October of 2013, and actually nobody has solve the problem.

My problem is that here in Spain we do not have the NHTSA agency where to submit this problem, so please check this thing in your car and try to drive safety.

Thanks for your time reading my post and sorry because my rusty English.

davyjordi

se puede contactar la asociación de constructores europeos de automóviles (acea), ¿no? la asociación representa a toyota europa.