Wrecked my FJ62, seatbelt/insurance question

[PabloCruise]

Sounds like this is too late for the OP, but I came across this in another thread - it may help someone reading here:

There is a open recall for rear seat belts guides. Was at work and looked it up on TIS. parts in just have to put them on. Goes for 1981-89 land cruisers. pays .50 TU.

 

[doug720]

The rear set belt recall is just a plastic guide on the webbing.

 

[tclark]

I would say they are tuned to the vehicle in as much as they are crash tested that way. Big issue with the 62 rear belts is that they use a different mounting system, two bolts rather than 1. I think you could probably take the assembly apart by drilling out rivits and make it work. The liability is in the making it work part. That's the part the insurance company wants nothing to do with. Toyota has test data backing up their mounting method. Joe Blow autobody does the bracket for the insurance company, what data do they have saying they conformed to test requirements. Being an Engineer and after enough training from the companies product safety group - you get used to thinking of everything in terms of 'How will this look in court with a burned, paralyzed or dead child?' I know it sounds mellow dramatic, but professionally I always liked having UL or CSA standards telling us how hot something could be, because as long as we met them we were 'safe'. Of course what you do as an individual is different, but I totally see why insurance companies and bodybshops would just say no. Heck look at all the roll cages that are sold as 'show bars' because of th implied liability.

I've also said all along that I've over sensitive because of two major crashes in 14 months. Or perhaps because of two crashes and too many close calls where my thinking ahead about what stupid thing the guy in front, beside, or behind me might do was all prevented another accident I am appropriately sensitive. I've stopped riding motorcycles on the street all together. The rear ending I would have been taken away in a box after my parts were scouped up. This last one, I might have just crawled away crippled.

I don't go around telling others not to ride or not to drive a 30 year old vehicle with modified seatbelt parts. That's never what this thread was supposed to be about. I never actually got an answer to the origonal question - at least not in advance of insurance actually totaling truck. Typical Internet I guess. Opinions given on everything but the question asked, all kinds of advice on what I should do, but no facts on what insurance required to do. Not that I don't appreciate everyone's well intentioned comments, they just didn't help me with my insurance question.

Interesting side note, because I knew of the limited availability of driver's seat belts, I went ahead and ordered one when insurance company was saying no way they would total it. So I now have one of six or seven nos seatbelts in the country, and no truck to put it in.

Insurance company got real pissy with me about surendering the truck right away because they aparently forgot that it was at the body shop racking up storage fees. I explained to them in an e-mail they should be thanking me for not authorizing the body shop to start work or they'd have a $6,800 bill they'd have to pay the shop on a vehicle they would still have to sell salvage. And of course I only took it there in the first place because they insisted I do so. Idiots would have been money ahead had they just totaled it in the first place. I gave them fair warning on the belt issue. Instead they were bullheaded and they paid a thousand dollar storage bill plus I'm still in a full size SUV rental going on 37 days. I think even at the insurance disount rate it's around $50 a day. Doh!

We'll just have to agree to disagree; while I totally get not using old belts and replacing after a crash I just don't buy that they're "tuned" in any way other than being mounted to a suitable location.

Are there any pictures of this? I want to put 3-point belts in the back of my Pig and am always looking for good ideas on the safest way to do so...

I'm sure you could find some; I looked into adding them to my 60 a few years ago but never got around to it.

 

[Walking Eagle]

I was involved in a front end collision 8 months ago when a civic decided to make a left hand turn directly in front of me. Although the other driver's fault, I went through my own insurance. They ended up paying more for the repair than I paid for my 60 two years ago. Totaling the car or replacing the seatbelt was never discussed.

They won't volunteer to replace the seat belts. But do any reading online or just look in your owner's manual. They're not going to inform you of what you need or what you are entitled to, they are going to try to get off cheap as possible. That's part of why this adjuster is so pissy with me, because I don't just accept what they offer or tell me. If they had any morals at all, any time a vehicle was in a severe impact they would be the first line item on every repair estimate. I guess it was lucky that my son's belt showed visible damage and that I caught it. I had thought about it, racing harnesses need to be replaced after an accident (at least SCCA club and pro rally rules back in the day), but hadn't thought about it to the degree I have now relative to street car accidents. Interestingly while searching for a Toyota owners manual online (finally broke down and had body shop shoot a picture of the one in the truck) I can across a bunch of different manufactures owners manuals, and they say exactly the same thing. Heck they are all so much the same I wouldn't doubt there is an industry approved verbage.

 

[Walking Eagle]

Just to figure this all out - did you push to have your 62 totaled? In my mind you could have made a tidy little pile of cash letting them fix it and then parting it out...

If they or I were able to source seatbelts I would have been fine with repairing it and since I already had a spare bumper and would have been fine with used body parts I would have pocketed a few dollars - maybe enough to have the whole truck painted. I had about 11k into the truck with suspension, wheels, $1000 worth of rear end work, $1000 worth of a/c work, ect. I got more than that letting it get totaled. Definately more than I could have sold it for. But buying it back @$2500 just didn't make financial sense.

So I didn't exactly push to have it totaled, but I also knew there was no way they could source the belts if I couldn't.

 

[Walking Eagle]

Very interesting! I always thought the manufacturer had to warranty the belts for the life of the vehicle. I actually think I saw that in the warranty docs for my Civic.

I thought they would be required to keep them available as well. Then again, is 26 years beyond the expected life if a vehicle. I mean we all think the expected life of a Land Cruiser to be infinity plus 1, but is is reasonable to expect Toyota to have all seatbelts available for all cars they've made in the last 30+ years? Can't expect them to keep the manufacturing capability for all of those forever. At whirlpool we would do lifetime buys on stuff, and there was some formula they used to calculate how many replacement parts needed for x years. Sometimes the formula doesn't meet reality one way or the other. I'm sure the limited run of the FJ62 (and remember only half of those even had these belts) doesn't help one bit. Of course understanding the logic doesn't make it suck any less.

 

[Walking Eagle]

Glad you guys are ok. Take care of the wrist, I tore my tendon off the bone last sep and after surgery if February it still hurts like hell.

Ya, just found out I have a TFC tear - surgery may be in my future.

 

[doug720]

As to keeping spare parts available for vehicles - A manufacturer is only obligated to make spare parts available for the duration of the factory period, if there is one! A warranty is not law.

Manufacturers make spare parts available as long as they make them money. Once the parts turn over slows, they stop making the part. Once the parts age beyond their service life, they go in the trash.

Already, older air bags, seat belts and vehicle electronics are no longer available for cars that are only 10 years old, so the problem will get worse and many cars will get scrapped for lack of safety and electronic replacement parts.

 

[willflow]

Tfcc tear is what I had. I haven't got the strength back yet and if I use it a lot it hurts but it is stable and that's all the dr's care about. It sucks but that's how it goes. They assessed me with an 8% permanent disability. If they have you do a function capacity test they look at your ability on a short term work load. It doesn't take into account a continuous work load that results in the pain. I can see where people play it up and try to get more money as a result of a diminished ability but that will follow you unless you test again later to get a different result. Mine was a work related injury and for my trouble I was terminated from my job and given 6k as a payment. It sucks to be left with apermanent issue. I hope yours works out better then mine did.

 

[PabloCruise]

As to keeping spare parts available for vehicles - A manufacturer is only obligated to make spare parts available for the duration of the factory period, if there is one! A warranty is not law.

Manufacturers make spare parts available as long as they make them money. Once the parts turn over slows, they stop making the part. Once the parts age beyond their service life, they go in the trash.

Already, older air bags, seat belts and vehicle electronics are no longer available for cars that are only 10 years old, so the problem will get worse and many cars will get scrapped for lack of safety and electronic replacement parts.

I took a look through the Warranty book that Honda put in my Civic. For seat belts, the warranty period "continues for the useful life of the car".
She sure has been useful! I love that machine. If Honda made an equivalent product to the Land Cruiser, I would buy it.

 

[theron]

I took a look through the Warranty book that Honda put in my Civic. For seat belts, the warranty period "continues for the useful life of the car".
She sure has been useful! I love that machine. If Honda made an equivalent product to the Land Cruiser, I would buy it.

Honda's version of a Cruiser love these:

 

[PabloCruise]

Honda's version of a Cruiser love these:

I had a co-worker who had one of these, and she LOVED it!

If Honda got back into these, they could kick some serious Subaru ass.

My Civic was the best $ I ever spent on transportation. I love my Cruisers, but they do not even come close...

 

[Skniper]

I had a co-worker who had one of these, and she LOVED it!

If Honda got back into these, they could kick some serious Subaru ass.

My Civic was the best $ I ever spent on transportation. I love my Cruisers, but they do not even come close...

Needs a lift and some sliders, already has factory steelies and "special low gear".

Oh, and for thread content... I just received my new Toyo OEM front driver seatbelt for my 62.