The contact's daughter had rented a 2023 Mazda Mazda 3. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle veered off to the left side of the highway and side-swiped a cable system; the vehicle then crashed into the end cap of a guardrail. The vehicle then hydroplaned and hit a bridge pillar. The vehicle flipped as the contact's daughter was ejected from the vehicle and the vehicle landed on the roof in the grass next to the guardrail. The cause of the crash was unknown. The vehicle caught fire and was incinerated by the time authorities arrived on the scene. The contact's daughter was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed. The guardrail, cable system, and a wooden road post were damaged due to the accident. Due to the extent of the fire, it was unknown if the air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the investigators could not determine the exact cause of the crash but believed that it was likely that the contact's daughter fell asleep; the contact contests the investigator's findings. Upon his investigation, the contact discovered that owners of previous year model vehicles had reported that the air bag and seat belt pretensioners had failed to operate in the event of a crash. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ODI 11561121