| Issue ID | 504308 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10091277 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | CAMRY |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 01/03/04 |
| Component | AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | A serious and dangerous flaw exists in the 2004 toyota camry le v6 which the company refuses to correct. Our car contains driver and front passenger side and curtain airbags. This was specificially purchased as optional equipment ($650. Additional) for the safety of the front passenger. The system is such that "airbag on" and "airbag off" indicator lights indicate the activation of the front passenger airbag, side airbag on the passenger seat and front passenger's seat belt ptensioner. I have been advised by the dealer that a person weighing 70lbs. Or more should activate the "airbag on" indicator light and afford protection for the front passenger. My spouse wieghs 95 lbs. She does not presently activate the "airbag on" indicator light although it did activate the first two months we had the car. What we have been doing to have the front passenger protected is for me (the driver) to press down on the seat while i start the car with my spouse in the front seat. This works about once every four or five attempts. The above is bad enough, but on two occasions, the indicator light went from "airbag on" to "airbag off" while we were driving. I had to pull over to try to activate the "airbag on" to afford protection for the front passenger. As i mentioned above, the company has refused to correct this dangerous situation. I spoke to the dealer (prestige toyota of ramsey, nj) and to the toyota customer assistance center to no avail.*ak |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 500 |
| Number of Occurences | 90 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | PARAMUS, NJ |
| VIN pattern | 4T1BF30KX4UXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 31/01/04 |
| Was original owner? | Y |
| Anti-lock brakes | Y |
| Cruise control | Y |
| Number of cylinders | 6 |
| Drive train type | FWD |
| Transmission type | AUTO |
| Vehicle speed | |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | PRESTIGE TOYOTA |
| Dealer's telephone number | 201-825-2700 |
| Dealer's city | RAMSEY |
| Dealer's state code | NJ |
| Dealer's ZIP code | 07446 |