Investigations
Collapse of Squad Seat Base
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE11041 - closed, opened 2012-01-20.
NHTSA investigation PE11041 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2012-01-20 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2013-01-11 - 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 PE11041 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: "On January 20th 2012 the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess and review a complaint (VOQ # 10424476) concerning a squad bench failure on a 2011 Medtec R152 Type 1 Ambu..." 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 20th 2012 the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess and review a complaint (VOQ # 10424476) concerning a squad bench failure on a 2011 Medtec R152 Type 1 Ambulance emergency response vehicle. The VOQ, submitted by an emergency medical professional, indicated that he was injured due to a failure of the bench seat in the emergency cab while treating a patient en route to the hospital. The complainant was allegedly sitting on the squad seat bench located in the emergency cab when the vehicle drove over a bump causing the seat to separate from its hinged bracket. This failure caused the complainant to fall into the lower storage area, allegedly injuring his back in the process. An ODI investigator contacted the complainant and arranged for an inspection of similar vehicles to examine their squad bench seats. ODI also contacted the Vehicle Research Testing Center (VRTC) to conduct testing of the bench seat and its support hinge. However, Medtec initiated a safety recall before VRTC completed its testing program. On November 29th 2012, Medtec submitted a Part 573 defect notice indicating it would conduct a safety recall to install improved seat hinge hardware on the effected population. This investigation is closed. NHTSA will continue to monitor the recalled vehicles to ensure the remedy implemented by Medtec is adequate. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) number: 10424476.
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.