NHTSA complaint #11330175

Owner complaint summary

THE RENTED 2020 TAHOE WAS STATIONARY. A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE LEFT THIRD ROW SEAT BECAME STUCK IN THE SEAT BELT. SHE WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE SEATBELT CLASP AS IT GOT STUCK AND FAILED TO UNLATCH. THE MORE THE PASSENGER STRUGGLED TO UNLATCH THE SEATBELT, THE PROGRESSIVELY TIGHTER IT BECAME. PASSENGER COULD NOT DISENGAGE THE SEATBELT CLASP BY PRESSING THE TINY RED BUTTON. THREE OTHER PASSENGERS TRIED TO RELEASE THE SEATBELT AND COULD NOT. PASSENGER WAS TRAPPED WITH TIGHT SEAT BELT HOLDING HER IN. OTHER PASSENGERS CALLED EMERGENCY PERSONNEL WHO ALSO COULD NOT RELEASE THE EVER TIGHTENING SEAT BELT. PASSENGER WAS RELEASED WHEN THE RANGER CUT THE SEAT BELT WITH A SEATBELT CUTTING EMERGENCY TOOL. IT WAS A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE. LATER, SOME OF OUR GUESTS FIGURED OUT THAT YOU HAVE TO PRESS THE TINY RED BUTTON ON THE LEFT LATCH WITH A PIECE OF THE RIGHT BUCKLE. A PASSENGER SHOULD BE ABLE TO RELEASE THE SEATBELT BY DEPRESSING THE RED BUTTON. A PASSENGER CANNOT EVEN REACH THE BUTTON FROM THE SEATED POSITION AS THE BUTTON IS TINY AND CANNOT ACCOMMODATE AN ADULT FINGER TO DEPRESS IT. THIS IS THE WORST EXAMPLE OF ENGINEERING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. I AM FRANKLY AMAZED THAT THIS DESIGN PASSED ANY SAFETY TESTS. PLEASE ADDRESS THE ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS HURT OR KILLED BY BEING TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE AND UNABLE TO ESCAPE. *TR