Investigations
CHILD RESTRAINT HARNESS LOOSENING
NHTSA Recall Query RQ04008 - closed, opened 2004-09-17.
NHTSA investigation RQ04008 is a Recall Query opened on 2004-09-17 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2005-01-06 - 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 Recall Query like RQ04008 evaluates whether a previously issued recall is actually fixing the problem. NHTSA opens an RQ when owners continue to report the original defect after the recall remedy is installed, or when completion rates fall short of the agency's expectations for that risk tier.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "RECALL 04C002 INCLUDES THE BRITAX HUSKY, MARATHON, TRAVELLER PLUS, AND WIZARD CHILD SAFETY SEATS. THE DEFECT IS HARNESS ADJUSTER SLIPPAGE CAUSING CHILD RESTRAINT HARNESS LOOSENING. THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (OD..." 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
RECALL 04C002 INCLUDES THE BRITAX HUSKY, MARATHON, TRAVELLER PLUS, AND WIZARD CHILD SAFETY SEATS. THE DEFECT IS HARNESS ADJUSTER SLIPPAGE CAUSING CHILD RESTRAINT HARNESS LOOSENING. THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS RECALL QUERY (RQ) AFTER RECEIVING REPORTS FROM CONSUMERS THAT THE CHILD RESTRAINT HARNESS ON THE SUBJECT SEAT ALLEGEDLY MAY LOOSEN AFTER CONSUMERS THOUGHT THAT THE HARNESS WAS SECURE. THE SUPER ELITE WAS NOT IN THE SCOPE OF SAFETY RECALL 04C002, WHICH WAS INITIATED BY BRITAX IN AUGUST OF 2004. BRITAX CORRECTED THE DEFECTIVE RECALLED SEATS BY REPLACING THE ORIGINAL ADJUSTER STRAP WEBBING WITH A NEW THICKER WEBBING. BOTH THE RECALLED SEATS AND THE SUBJECT USE AN ADJUSTER MECHANISM IDENTIFIED BY BRITAX AS AN "A-LOK" ADJUSTER. THE RQ WAS OPENED TO EVALUATE WHETHER THE RECALL SCOPE SHOULD INCLUDE THE SUBJECT SUPER ELITE SEAT. ODI DETERMINED THAT THE SUPER ELITE HAS AN "A-LOK" ADJUSTER BUT THE DESIGN OF THE ADJUSTER IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT COMPARED TO THE RECALLED SEATS AND THE WEBBING FOR THE SUPER ELITE IS 25MM WIDE COMPARED TO THE RECALLED SEAT WEBBING WIDTH OF 38MM. THE ALLEGED DEFECT FOR THE SUPER ELITE APPEARS TO NOT BE RELATED TO WEBBING THICKNESS. THIS RQ IS CLOSED. THE "OTHER" COMPLAINTS LISTED ABOVE WILL BE INVESTIGATED UNDER PE05-001.
About This Investigation Type
A Recall Query (RQ) evaluates the effectiveness of a previously issued recall. NHTSA opens an RQ when consumer complaints suggest that a recall remedy may not be adequately addressing the safety issue, or when the recall completion rate appears insufficient.
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.