Advice needed for Problem with Rear Seat Belt in 2011 RX350 - 5 Year Old was Injured
12-28-12, 06:53 AM
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Advice needed for Problem with Rear Seat Belt in 2011 RX350 - 5 Year Old was Injured
Hi all! First time forum poster here. Thanks to all for reading this!
2 weeks ago, I was driving with my family from Maryland to New York City. Along the way, my 5 year old daughter started to cry and complain that the seat belt became super-tight on her. She was sitting on a raised booster seat (not a car seat) as she has done for almost a year. We pulled over and what I discovered was shocking. Somehow, the rear left seat belt wrapped around her body two times and restrained her from the roof of the car down. So unlatching the buckle, (which we were able to easily do) did nothing to loosen the belt. The more I tried to pull some slack, the tighter the seat belt became. The belt was pressing into her skin so hard that it started to break the skin. After pulling out the socket from the top of the seat belt and exhausting all other viable options, the only thing I could think of to remedy this was to get a scissor and cut the belt.
When I arrived home, I contacted Lexus immediately. I explained to them what had happened and that I had taken pictures of the situation. They requested that I send the images over to them and that somebody would contact me within 2 business days. A few days later, they called and notified me that this ordeal was being handed over to their legal department since it appeared that there was injury here. I was also told that within 2 more business days, someone from legal would call and set up an inspection of the car. Here I am 10 business days later and nobody from legal has called. Of course, I have been contacting Lexus once every few days with the response being the same..."It is in the legal department's hands and we can not do anything for you. You have to wait until legal contacts you." ....Seriously??? In addition, my daughter has been having nightmares about what happened and comes into our bedroom often. She also complains every time we try to strap her in (on the other side of the car).
I should also mention that I contacted my local Lexus dealer and service and they quoted me a cost of over $500 to get a new seat belt replacement. I am dismayed and truly expected better from Lexus. Any advice would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!
2 weeks ago, I was driving with my family from Maryland to New York City. Along the way, my 5 year old daughter started to cry and complain that the seat belt became super-tight on her. She was sitting on a raised booster seat (not a car seat) as she has done for almost a year. We pulled over and what I discovered was shocking. Somehow, the rear left seat belt wrapped around her body two times and restrained her from the roof of the car down. So unlatching the buckle, (which we were able to easily do) did nothing to loosen the belt. The more I tried to pull some slack, the tighter the seat belt became. The belt was pressing into her skin so hard that it started to break the skin. After pulling out the socket from the top of the seat belt and exhausting all other viable options, the only thing I could think of to remedy this was to get a scissor and cut the belt.
When I arrived home, I contacted Lexus immediately. I explained to them what had happened and that I had taken pictures of the situation. They requested that I send the images over to them and that somebody would contact me within 2 business days. A few days later, they called and notified me that this ordeal was being handed over to their legal department since it appeared that there was injury here. I was also told that within 2 more business days, someone from legal would call and set up an inspection of the car. Here I am 10 business days later and nobody from legal has called. Of course, I have been contacting Lexus once every few days with the response being the same..."It is in the legal department's hands and we can not do anything for you. You have to wait until legal contacts you." ....Seriously??? In addition, my daughter has been having nightmares about what happened and comes into our bedroom often. She also complains every time we try to strap her in (on the other side of the car).
I should also mention that I contacted my local Lexus dealer and service and they quoted me a cost of over $500 to get a new seat belt replacement. I am dismayed and truly expected better from Lexus. Any advice would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!
Last edited by KennethJ; 12-29-12 at 07:02 AM. Reason: grammar
12-28-12, 01:00 PM
#2
Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry it's under these conditions. I can understand your frustration when something important doesn't get a timely reaction. My only advice for you there is you may want to get a lawyer to contact them. That should get their attention.
As for the incident, I hope your daughter is ok both physically and emotionally.
It does however sound like the seat belt was functioning properly. They are designed to lock in certain circumstances. When properly fitted, locking in place would not be an issue. This has happened to my 6yo son in his booster seat while riding in our Altima. The belt was properly across his lap and shoulder. He leaned forward to grab something and it was locked in place (or it locked in place as he motioned forward). Except for the lack of mobility, it did not cause any strain or discomfort.
I don't see this as being a problem with Lexus. This would have happened in any vehicle with a modern retractable / locking seat belt. When a seat belt is incorrectly positioned, wrapped around the body, bad things can happen. We've heard horror stories about seat belt entanglement, usually involving the neck, when children wrap the belt around their body. Given the circumstances, I think you're lucky this was around her waist. Hopefully if anything positive comes from this it's the learning experience that a seat belt is not a toy. A tough lesson to learn for a 5yo but it could have been much worse.
As for the incident, I hope your daughter is ok both physically and emotionally.
It does however sound like the seat belt was functioning properly. They are designed to lock in certain circumstances. When properly fitted, locking in place would not be an issue. This has happened to my 6yo son in his booster seat while riding in our Altima. The belt was properly across his lap and shoulder. He leaned forward to grab something and it was locked in place (or it locked in place as he motioned forward). Except for the lack of mobility, it did not cause any strain or discomfort.
I don't see this as being a problem with Lexus. This would have happened in any vehicle with a modern retractable / locking seat belt. When a seat belt is incorrectly positioned, wrapped around the body, bad things can happen. We've heard horror stories about seat belt entanglement, usually involving the neck, when children wrap the belt around their body. Given the circumstances, I think you're lucky this was around her waist. Hopefully if anything positive comes from this it's the learning experience that a seat belt is not a toy. A tough lesson to learn for a 5yo but it could have been much worse.
12-28-12, 04:12 PM
#3
Driver School Candidate
i have to beleive this is a parent problem not a lexus problem, to be Wrapped twice around her body she most have been doing something a Car manufacture could not forsee or be required to forsee. it sounds like the seat belt was working correctly but being used incorrectly drop the lawyers and get the belt fixed.
hope your daughter is recovering okay. If there was as much pain as indicated i would not have been taking pictures, i would be solving the problem
cheers
hope your daughter is recovering okay. If there was as much pain as indicated i would not have been taking pictures, i would be solving the problem
cheers
12-28-12, 05:52 PM
#4
Welcome to the forum. I have raised two children and used car and booster seats. It almost looks like the seat belt is wrapped around your daughters waist twice as you describe. You should never wrap the seat belt all the way around your child. This would be extremely dangerous in an accident. If you have been doing this you must stop now and use the belt properly. If your child has wrapped it around her waist accidentally or as a game, she should stop. The seat belt can get locked down ... this is part of how it was designed. Once it is locked, pulling on it will not loosen it. Some tension on the belt must be released before it can retract normally. The problem here is that your daughter is strapped into the booster improperly. So I guess you were unable to release the tension after the belt locked. This does not seem like a vehicle problem, but rather a mistake that either you or your daughter has made. I can imagine how scary the situation would be for your daughter if the belt tightened around her and could not be released. I think you did the right thing in cutting her out if you could not release any tension in the belt. It also seem like you do not know how the seat belts are designed to work and it was a good idea to just cut the belt in that situation.
I did have a seat belt get permanently locked in the back seat of an ES350 that I owned. The seat belt would not retract properly and became unusable. I took the car down to the dealership and they did a warranty repair on the seat belt unit. It is a relatively simple repair. If you want to see if your seat belt assembly is defective. Just go out and see if it did not retract after you cut it. If it retracted, then it was probably working correctly. If it did not retract, then it was probably defective. If it is defective go down to your dealer and show them that it is broken and not working. They should fix it under warranty. If it retracted, then it was probably working correctly and you should just go down to the dealership and have them install a new belt and pay for the repair.
I did have a seat belt get permanently locked in the back seat of an ES350 that I owned. The seat belt would not retract properly and became unusable. I took the car down to the dealership and they did a warranty repair on the seat belt unit. It is a relatively simple repair. If you want to see if your seat belt assembly is defective. Just go out and see if it did not retract after you cut it. If it retracted, then it was probably working correctly. If it did not retract, then it was probably defective. If it is defective go down to your dealer and show them that it is broken and not working. They should fix it under warranty. If it retracted, then it was probably working correctly and you should just go down to the dealership and have them install a new belt and pay for the repair.
Last edited by UCSB; 12-28-12 at 06:12 PM.
12-28-12, 06:48 PM
#5
Like others have said and based on what you said and the photos it appears you have used the seat belt improperly. I hope you daughter does not have any severe or permanent injuries.
As far as Lexus Legal Dept, your inquiry is probably slowed down by the Holidays. I suspect you'll hear from them after the 1st of the year. Please let us know what THEY say when you do.
As far as Lexus Legal Dept, your inquiry is probably slowed down by the Holidays. I suspect you'll hear from them after the 1st of the year. Please let us know what THEY say when you do.
12-29-12, 05:44 AM
#6
The pursuit of F
Having young kids myself, I can understand where you're coming from. Unfortunately I also have to agree with the other posts with the belt having been improperly used and the slower response by Lexus is likely due to the holiday season. Hopefully, this is handled to your satisfaction and both you and your family can enjoy the RX. All the best wishes.
Last edited by corradoMR2; 12-29-12 at 05:45 AM. Reason: update
12-29-12, 06:51 AM
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Thank you to all for your replies and sound advice. I can say with certainty that when I fastened the seat belt on my daughter, it was done so properly and not wrapped around her twice. I do know how to properly fasten a seat belt around a child. What she did afterwards is what I am unsure of. UCSB, thanks for the advice of checking to see if the belt will retract now. As soon as I go out later, I will do so. If the belt was used improperly for whatever reason, I will be the first to take responsibility in fixing it and will ensure that this does not happen again.
At the end of the day, I am thankful that my daughter is okay and that there was no severe injury. I will follow up once the issue has been resolved. Happy New Year!
At the end of the day, I am thankful that my daughter is okay and that there was no severe injury. I will follow up once the issue has been resolved. Happy New Year!
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12-29-12, 08:41 PM
#9
This same thing happened to me earlier this year. I didn't mention in that thread, but Lexus later got back to me and replaced the belt (on a 10 year old RX300, mind you) free of charge as a courtesy / safety issue.
I pretty much raked them over the coals over the idiocy of the belt's design and how there is no "override" button for just such a situation. Note in reality many if not all manufacturers suffer the same flaw.
Keep working them. They should at least replace belt free of charge, assuming you think that's worth doing.
I pretty much raked them over the coals over the idiocy of the belt's design and how there is no "override" button for just such a situation. Note in reality many if not all manufacturers suffer the same flaw.
Keep working them. They should at least replace belt free of charge, assuming you think that's worth doing.
Last edited by bagofchips; 12-29-12 at 08:46 PM. Reason: clarification
01-05-13, 04:06 PM
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UPDATE
I checked the rear left seat belt again and since it was cut from the top section and there is no more slack coming down from the inner roof of the car, I can not tell if there is any defect on the belt.
I have NOT heard back from the Lexus legal department. So I decided to take the car to my Lexus dealership to fix the issue. I was told that I would need to replace the entire seat belt part since Lexus does not sell seat belt components individually The best price they could give me (after bargaining and pleading my case) was $389.00 plus tax. It will take them about a week to get the part in stock and then fix it.
The only bright side to all of this is that they gave me a great loaner car; the 2013 RX450H with under 3K miles on it. I am truly enjoying driving that car. Otherwise, I am just playing a waiting game with the legal department. I hope they will reimburse me for the headache and inconvenient long wait; it's been 3 weeks since this was first reported.
I checked the rear left seat belt again and since it was cut from the top section and there is no more slack coming down from the inner roof of the car, I can not tell if there is any defect on the belt.
I have NOT heard back from the Lexus legal department. So I decided to take the car to my Lexus dealership to fix the issue. I was told that I would need to replace the entire seat belt part since Lexus does not sell seat belt components individually The best price they could give me (after bargaining and pleading my case) was $389.00 plus tax. It will take them about a week to get the part in stock and then fix it.
The only bright side to all of this is that they gave me a great loaner car; the 2013 RX450H with under 3K miles on it. I am truly enjoying driving that car. Otherwise, I am just playing a waiting game with the legal department. I hope they will reimburse me for the headache and inconvenient long wait; it's been 3 weeks since this was first reported.
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