Dogs owners had homeowners insurance
That statement alone makes me suspect this is not on the up and up.
Why is that suspicious? Plenty of people have homeowner’s insurance, and I believe policies typically cover liabilities caused by pets.
I have attached pictures of front of car and air bag deployment.
With little or no visible damage to the front of the car (and with apparently no impact damage to the side of the car), it is clear that there was a gross malfunction of the SRS.
Some forum members may recall that there was a recall on Jeeps in the mid-90s, due to airbag deployments that resulted from striking a curb. Just as a curb strike should not cause airbag deployment, hitting a dog should not result in airbag deployment.
Front airbags only deploy in the event of a significant deceleration force and impact to the front of the car.
Side airbags only deploy in the event of side impact–and then only on the side that was impacted.
If every airbag on the car deployed, that indicates a gross malfunction of the SRS.
If every airbag on the car deployed, that indicates a gross malfunction of the SRS.
Agreed. But isn’t it true that the front sensors for airbag deployment are behind the area we all used to call the “bumper”? And that’s where the impact was on this Toyota. Certainly the side bags should not have deployed, but they did. The fronts might be correct.
My friend’s Mercedes, while she was backing out of a parking spot, deployed the roll over protection system that suddenly raised the head restraints on the top of the seats. Big loud clunk and the restraints are up near the ceiling. I was in the car and we hit nothing, we were going very slowly, it was completely unexpected and there was no explanation ever from Mercedes. She did drive the car home and called Mercedes, which towed the car away, gave her a loaner, and returned it a week later with an apology. It should not have happened, of course, but it did, and Mercedes was very quick to accept responsibility and to fix it.
Toyota should do the same.
@bkj517, I don’t think Toyota buying the car is necessarily sinister. It seems clear that this air bag deployment was very unusual, and buying the car gives them an opportunity to evaluate why it happened. I didn’t read about Ny injuries in this accident, and I don’t think Toyota is trying to avoid a lawsuit since there isn’t anything to sue for.
We have a 2013 Highlander. It was T-boned by a driver running a red light at speed - probably about 40. The side curtain air bag did not deploy and my wife’s head shattered the driver’s window. Air bags on the other vehicle deployed. Damage to the Toyota was $12,000. I am in discussion with Toyota legal now as obviously the bag should have inflated. Maybe Toyota has generic problems with 2013 vehicles?