On 9/12/21, I was driving 25-30mph when the SUV in front of me stopped on the freeway interchange suddenly and unexpectedly (other cars were not around us). I hit the breaks very hard and fast but could not stop and collided with the SUV. The front end of the Prius lodged under the back end of the SUV and the impact was enough to wreck the Prius. During that collision, the driver side seatbelt engaged, but the passenger side seatbelt did not. My preteen hit his forehead on the dashboard very hard. Additionally, the airbags failed to deploy. I could smell an odor from the dust from the airbags. The car is at a repair shop waiting for insurance adjuster to inspect. There were no warning lamps or other messages of the problem prior to the failure.

- El Sobrante, CA, USA

On 2/27/14 the SRS indicator light in our vehicle lit up causing us to review the owner's manual, which recommended immediate service. Per technical service bulletin T-sb-0042-11, this issue was caused by failure of the wiring harness, which was diagnosed with scanner code B1826. According to the tsb, the design/material fault can occur in 2004-2009 priuses. The fault, according to a Toyota service advisor, results in a failure of the air bag system. To address the condition, "an updated wire harness must be installed." The cost to repair this design fault is $2,500. And up depending on if one or both sides of the wiring harness has to be replaced. Because this safety related defect needed to be addressed at once we paid to have the vehicle repaired but expressed our view to the Toyota personnel that the defect should have been covered by Toyota. We feel that this defect should have been the subject of a recall. Calls to the GM of the dealership have not been returned.

- Moraga, CA, USA

Vehicle struck from behind at approximately 20mph and pushed into another vehicle. Driver seat belt did not lock and driver's head struck the top of the steering wheel. The driver seat back also broke and the driver fell backward until the seat back was stopped by the cushion of the rear seats.

- Cary, NC, USA

[xxx], a resident of wantagh, NY, was driving on the wantagh state parkway when she was hit from behind and then experienced the sudden, unintended acceleration of her 2005 Toyota Prius. The acceleration continued after she pressed on the brake pedal. As a result, [xxx] struck another vehicle on the road and was involved in a serious accident. Moreover, the seatbelt in the vehicle was defective in that it became unfastened and the airbags did not deploy. The vehicle has a VIN# [xxx] and was purchased at atlantic Toyota in long island. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Wantagh, NY, USA

On 3/1/08 I was involved in an auto accident whereby I broadsided a public bus at an approximate angle of 45 degrees. The whole front of the car from the center to the driver's side was completely smashed and neither the driver's side airbag or passenger's side air bag deployed. As a result I, the driver, incurred whip lash injuries and the front passenger hit the front windshield and cracked it as the seatbelt on that side did not work either. Toyota was contacted and their claim is that the front seat belt functioned properly but they could not explain how the front passenger was not restrained from hitting the front windshield. As to the airbags, they claim that, despite knowing the car was doing between 40-45 mph upon impact, that due to the angle of the collision the airbags would not deploy. Could you please tell me if this is true. Does the law allow for restraint systems not to deploy in such accidents or are they just stone walling us? any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. John E. reardon

- Berlin, NJ, USA

I was a passenger in the front seat of a Toyota Prius that was headed East bound into an intersection in joliet Illinois when another vehicle made a left turn in front of the car that I was in. The resulting front end collision failed to trigger the air bags and the seat belts did not hold me in place. As a result I have a permanent injury to my right shoulder that leaves me with limited mobility in my right arm. Two other people were also injured in the resulting crash.

- River Grove, IL, USA

Another driver failed to yield to me at an intersection. I struck the other car and the air bags did not go off nor did the seat belts lock into place to hold the passengers in a restrained position.

- Franklin Park, IL, USA