NHTSA Investigation PE87011

LATCH DISENGAGEMENT

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.===

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.