Investigations
Car Seat Harness Buckle
NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA14003 - closed, opened 2014-07-07.
NHTSA investigation EA14003 is a Engineering Analysis opened on 2014-07-07 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2014-10-31 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
An Engineering Analysis like EA14003 is the deeper technical phase that follows a PE. NHTSA requests design, warranty, and field-failure data from the manufacturer, conducts its own testing when needed, and determines whether the evidence supports a safety defect finding that would compel a recall.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "On January 31, 2014, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation as PE14-003 based on 18 reports from consumers alleging the harness buckle on their convertible or booster car seat was difficult t..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
On January 31, 2014, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation as PE14-003 based on 18 reports from consumers alleging the harness buckle on their convertible or booster car seat was difficult to unlatch or would not unlatch. Separately, ODI's investigation of harness buckles (see EA13-001) in Graco Children's Products, Inc. (Graco), revealed that the Evenflo Company, Inc. (Evenflo) also used QT1 and QT3 harness buckles supplied by AmSafe Commercial Products, Inc. in car seats that Evenflo produced. On February 7, 2014 Graco submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to recall approximately 3.7 million Graco convertible and booster car seats produced with QT1 and QT3 buckles. Graco did not, at that time, recall its Rear Facing Infant (RFI) seats that used the same buckles. On April 2, 2014, Evenflo submitted a DIR to recall approximately 1.3 million convertible and booster car seats produced with QT1 and QT3 buckles. Like Graco, Evenflo excluded its RFI car seats from this recall. On June 27, 2014, Graco submitted a DIR which expanded its earlier recall to include approximately 1.9 million Graco RFI car seats produced with QT1 buckles. Graco also committed to conduct a Customer Service Campaign with notification to registered consumers to replace the QT3 harness buckles. On July 7, 2014 ODI upgraded this investigation to Engineering Analysis EA14-003 to continue its investigation concerning Evenflo's RFI car seats. On August 29, 2014, in response to an ODI information request, Evenflo disputed that a safety risk was present in the buckles and claimed that in an emergency situation the entire car seat could be removed from the vehicle, with the child inside. On October 14, 2014, the Agency contacted Evenflo, and advised that the Agency was prepared to send a Recall Request Letter if the company did not recall the RFI. As stated to Evenflo, it was the Agency's position that the car seats should be recalled because the same QT1 buckles had
About This Investigation Type
An Engineering Analysis (EA) is the in-depth phase following a Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA engineers conduct testing, collect data from manufacturers, and perform detailed technical analysis to determine whether a safety defect exists. An EA may lead to a voluntary recall by the manufacturer or, in rare cases, a mandatory recall order.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.