Investigations
OCCUPANT HARNESS BUCKLE FAILURE
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE98029 - closed, opened 1998-05-13.
NHTSA investigation PE98029 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 1998-05-13 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1998-09-04 - 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 PE98029 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 OPENED PE98-029 BASED ON TWO REPORTS INDICATING THE BUCKLE OF THE OCCUPANT HARNESS BROKE AND CAME APART. ODI WAS ABLE TO RECOVER AND INSPECT BOTH OF THE BROKEN HARNESS BUCKLES. THE INSPECTION REVEALED THE BUCKLE HOUS..." 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 OPENED PE98-029 BASED ON TWO REPORTS INDICATING THE BUCKLE OF THE OCCUPANT HARNESS BROKE AND CAME APART. ODI WAS ABLE TO RECOVER AND INSPECT BOTH OF THE BROKEN HARNESS BUCKLES. THE INSPECTION REVEALED THE BUCKLE HOUSINGS EXPERIENCED CRACKS ALONG A SEAM WHERE THE BUCKLE HOUSING IS JOINED TOGETHER. FURTHERMORE, ODI'S INSPECTION OF A NEW BUCKLE REVEALS THAT INADVERTENT BUCKLE RELEASE MAY ALSO OCCUR IN USE WITHOUT FRACTURE. IN IT'S RESPONSE OF JULY 31, 1998 TO ODI'S INFORMATION REQUEST CENTURY PROVIDED INFORMATION CONCERNING 92 ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF BROKEN BUCKLES. CENTURY ALSO PROVIDED INFORMATION CONCERNIG SEVEN REPORTS OF "BUCKLE RELEASING."
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.