We purchased a 2013 Prius V in July. When we bought it, I was concerned about the back seat middle body restraint being attached to the inside roof behind the back passenger seat. But my boys are 6, so felt they would be okay. This week, one of the boys got tangled in the seat belt. When he tried to release the belt, it racheted up and tightened with the belt wrapped around his neck. He & his brother told us he was caught & asked us to stop. We were on a highway, & had to turn off & find a safe place to park. In the meantime, he became more distressed, & said he was having trouble breathing. We looked back & he was wrapped in the belt, stretched in the seat. Needless to say, we were very upset. We stopped, & tried to get the belt loose, but it just pulled tighter. The belt is permanently attached to the lap belt section, & could not be released. We were in the country. No one nearby. We don't carry knives. Fortunately, I had bought years ago, a tool for breaking auto glass, with a cutter in it for seat belts. I was able to find it, and cut the belt. It was very tough, & took a lot of effort. Our son was bruised, frightened, but otherwise okay. We will not be repairing the seatbelt, as this is a definite safety hazard. Our son would have hung in the back seat, if he had not been able to tell us he was caught, & couldn't breathe well. This could happen to a child too young to realize what was happening, and be fatal. This is a design flaw that could be fixed by allowing the belt to be released from the lap component of the belt.

- Elberfeld, IN, USA