My 4 children, I and my spouse were broadsided by a full semi-truck that ran a stop sign. I sustained serious injuries and was life lighted to a hospital where I stayed for 30 days, 11 of that spent in the ICU. The minimum speed that this hit us was 48 miles per hour, hit the front quarter panel and and side door before throwing it and then impacting the back of my van. There was only one window left in the vehicle after impact. Jaws of life were used to cut out the crushed driver side door. The front air bags deployed but not a single side curtain airbag deployed. I was told by Toyota that pillar A was not impacted. I wish I could upload photos- there wasn't a single place on my car that wasn't impacted.
If the side curtain airbags aren't going to deploy when a semi truck weighing 33,000-80,000 lbs t-bones you going at that speed, surely families are being led on about the safety of these vehicles with side curtain airbags. After reading all the complaints about side curtain airbags, this 2006 Toyota Sienna, urgency is needed to correct this problem. After all most people who buy vans are transporting children!
Update from Jun 17, 2014: Correction to verbiage above- I stated the pillar A but should read pillar -B.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My 4 children, I and my spouse were broadsided by a full semi-truck that ran a stop sign. I sustained serious injuries and was life lighted to a hospital where I stayed for 30 days, 11 of that spent in the ICU. The minimum speed that this hit us was 48 miles per hour, hit the front quarter panel and and side door before throwing it and then impacting the back of my van. There was only one window left in the vehicle after impact. Jaws of life were used to cut out the crushed driver side door. The front air bags deployed but not a single side curtain airbag deployed. I was told by Toyota that pillar A was not impacted. I wish I could upload photos- there wasn't a single place on my car that wasn't impacted.
If the side curtain airbags aren't going to deploy when a semi truck weighing 33,000-80,000 lbs t-bones you going at that speed, surely families are being led on about the safety of these vehicles with side curtain airbags. After reading all the complaints about side curtain airbags, this 2006 Toyota Sienna, urgency is needed to correct this problem. After all most people who buy vans are transporting children!
Update from Jun 17, 2014: Correction to verbiage above- I stated the pillar A but should read pillar -B.
- Jen C., Sergeant Bluff, IA, US