The contact owned a 2022 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 MPH on I-85 in the left lane, the driver noticed a BMW quickly approaching. The driver attempted to change lanes to the center lane, and the rear end of the vehicle slid out and the vehicle fishtailed into the other vehicle in the far-right lane, traveled across three lanes of traffic and crashed into a brick wall median and then went across all three lanes. The contact stated that after crashing into the brick wall, the seat belt became unlatched. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver sustained injuries to the wrist, which had struck the steering wheel, and the left hand which struck the door on impact. Medical attention was provided at the scene by the EMT and at the hospital the following day. The steering wheel air bag, driver's side side-curtain air bags, and passenger’s side air bags deployed during the crash. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The insurance company later towed the vehicle to a tow lot. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and sent an investigator to inspect the vehicle. The inspector determined that the driver’s seat belt was not latched during the crash after performing six push-pull tests on the seat belt. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
NHTSA ODI 11700743