Investigations
LATCH DISENGAGEMENT
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE87011 - closed, opened 1986-12-19.
NHTSA investigation PE87011 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1986-12-19 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1987-07-06 - 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 PE87011 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: "SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: BEAM'S REPORTED 14 COMPLAINTS,ONE OF WHICH NHTSA WAS AWARE OF IN FT. MYERS, FL. OF THOSE, 7 RESULTED INLAW SUITS WHERE BEAM'S WAS A DEFENDANT OR CO-DEFENDANT. TWO WERE SETTLEDOUT..." 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
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: BEAM'S REPORTED 14 COMPLAINTS,ONE OF WHICH NHTSA WAS AWARE OF IN FT. MYERS, FL. OF THOSE, 7 RESULTED INLAW SUITS WHERE BEAM'S WAS A DEFENDANT OR CO-DEFENDANT. TWO WERE SETTLEDOUT OF COURT WHILE THE OTHERS ARE PENDING.ANALYSIS: A REVIEW OF BRIEFS FILED BY THE PLANTIFF IN EACH OF THE SEVENCOURT CASES ALONG WITH THE OTHER SEVEN COMPLAINTS, INCLUDING THEINVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY THE NTSB SHOWED NO CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT THEBEAM'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY ACTUALLY FAILED OR MALFUNCTIONED.IN SOME CASES, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE SEAT BELT WAS EVEN BEING WORNBY THE VEHICLE OPERATOR. THE CHARGES WERE MORE OF: FAULTY RETRACTORS;DAMAGED OR RUSTY BUCKLES RENDERING THEM UNUSEABLE; AND NEGLIGENCE.ALTHOUGH THE ACCIDENTS WERE NOT CAUSED BY THE LAP BELTS, THE VEHICLEOPERATORS ATTRIBUTED THE INJURIES TO AN ALLEGED LAP BELT/BUCKLEMALFUNCTION.DATA PROVIDED BY BEAM'S SHOWS LABORATORY TEST RESULTS IN WHICH THEEQUIPMENT MET OR EXCEEDED FMVSS.IN REFERENCE TO THE OTHER SEVEN COMPLAINTS OF FAULTY DESIGN OR INADIQUATEPERFORMANCE, BEAM'S APPARENTLY SATISFIED THEM BY REPLACING THE OLD BELTSAND BUCKLES WITH NEW ONES FREE OF CHARGE OR AT MINIMAL COST.THE CANADIAN MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (CMOT) ISSUED A RECALL OF BEAM'S SEATBELTS IN 1979 FOR A TWO EARED BUCKLE DESIGN, BASED ON THE POSSIBILITYTHAT FALSE LATCH CONDITION MAY BE CREATED WHEN ONLY ONE EAR IS ENGAGED,RESULTING IN A LOWER RESISTANCE TO DETACHMENT. THE LATCHING MECHANISMMANUFACTURED FOR U.S. VEHICLES WERE DESIGNED DIFFERENTLY THAN THOSERECALLED IN CANADA.IN THE CASE OF THE CMOT RECALL, THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS OF MALFUNCTIONOR INJURIES, RATHER THE POSSIBILITY THAT A CONDITION MAY HAVE EXISTEDTHAT COULD HAVE COMPROMISED THEIR EFFECTIVNESS.OBSERVATION: BASED ON THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION, THERE IS NO REASON TOBELIEVE THERE IS AN INHERENT DEFECT IN THE PERFORMANCE, MANUFACTURE, ORMATERIAL OF THE BEAM'S 300 SEAT BELT AND BUCKLE.PROPOSED ACTION: CLOSE THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.===
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.