Investigations
CARRY HANDLE INTEGRITY
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE00019 - closed, opened 2000-04-26.
NHTSA investigation PE00019 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2000-04-26 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2000-10-23 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE00019 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "ODI HAS RECEIVED NINETY FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING PROBLEMS WITH THE CARRY HANDLE ON THE CENTURY CHILD SAFETY SEAT. SEVENTY TWO OF THE CONSUMERS REPORTED THE CARRY HANDLE EITHER CRACKED OR HAD BROKEN COMPLATELY APART..." 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
ODI HAS RECEIVED NINETY FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING PROBLEMS WITH THE CARRY HANDLE ON THE CENTURY CHILD SAFETY SEAT. SEVENTY TWO OF THE CONSUMERS REPORTED THE CARRY HANDLE EITHER CRACKED OR HAD BROKEN COMPLATELY APART. AS A RESULT OF THESE INCIDENTS THIRTEEN OF THE SEATS WERE DROPPED, THREE OF THE CHILDREN WERE EJECTED OUT OF THE SEATS, AND FOUR OF THE CHILDREN RECEIVED INJURIES. WE HAVE ALSO RECEIVED TWENTY THREE REPORTS OF THE CARRY HANDLE SUDDENTLY AND UNEXCPECTEDLY UNLATCHING. AS A RESULT OF THESE INCIDENTS, SIX OF THE CHILDREN WERE EJECTED OUT OF THE SEATS, AND FOUR OF THE CHILDREN RECEIVED INJURIES. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN OPENED TO FURTHER STUDY THIS ISSUE.
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
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.