2000 Mazda MPV Seat belts Problems

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR FACING INFANT CARRIER HANDLE WAS LOOSE. UPON INITIAL INSPECTION BY THE CONTACT, IT WAS DETERMINED THE HANDLE SCREWS NEEDED TIGHTENED. ADDITIONALLY, WITH OR WITHOUT THE CHILD RESTRAINED IN THE INFANT SEAT, THE BASE SLID FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT WAS A DOREL JUVENILE GROUP, MODEL EDDIE BAUER, # 22-630FMT, AND THE DATE OF MANUFACTURER WAS FEBRUARY 2, 2006. *AK

NHTSA ID

10175946

Incident

Dec 12, 2006

Mileage

100,000 mi

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE LATCH SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE. HE TOOK THE CAR TO A CERTIFIED INSPECTION STATION IN HIS CITY ON 11-02-05 TO HAVE THE SAFETY SEAT INSPECTED AND TURNED TO FACE FORWARD. THEY TOLD HIM THEY WOULD NOT TURN THE SAFETY SEAT BECAUSE THE LATCH SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY WITH A FORWARD FACING CHILD SEAT. THE CLIP BETWEEN THE SEATS WAS FACING FORWARD, INSTEAD OF VERTICAL, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO GET TWISTED AND BUNCHED UP. THIS CAUSED THE SAFETY SEAT TO LURCH FORWARD WHEN INSTALLED IN A FORWARD FACING POSITION. THE LATCH SYSTEM WILL ALLOW PROPER INSTALLATION OF A REAR FACING INFANT SEAT.*AK 11/15/05. *JB

NHTSA ID

10141577

Incident

Nov 2, 2005

Mileage

86,000 mi

FOIA REQUEST A FULL COPY OF NHTSA BULLETIN 0800102, NHTSA ITEM 634469 RE SEAT BELT COMFORT IN A 2000 MAZDA MPV. (NAR) *LA *CB *JB

NHTSA ID

10059701

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

FOIA REQUEST A FULL COPY OF THE CONTENTS OF ODI INVESTIGATION COMPLAINT# 875637, RE SEAT BELTS, FRONT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY. (NAR) *LA *CB *JB

NHTSA ID

10059688

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

CONSUMER STATES WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE ON, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD. *AK THE GEAR SHIFT WOULD STICK IN PARK OR MOVE BY ITSELF, THE RIGHT REAR DOOR WOULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND FAILED TO CLOSE PROPERLY, AND ONE OF THE SEAT BELTS WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS. *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10034468

THE REAR SEAT BELT BECAME SO TIGHT, IT HAD TO BE CUT IN ORDER FOR THE PASSENGER TO GET OUT. *JB *TS. THE CONSUMER STATED IT WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10020224

Mileage

44,000 mi

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN PUTTING ON THE REAR SEAT BELT IT WOULD NOT BE TIGHT ENOUGH FOR IT TO FIT THE CONSUMER PROPERLY. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. TS

NHTSA ID

10004402

Incident

Jan 18, 2003

FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEATBELT TIGHTENS WITH MINIMAL MOVEMENT, RETRACTS, LOCKS UP AND WILL NOT RELEASE. PASSENGER MUST UNBUCKLE SEAT BELT DUE TO EXTREME DISCOMFORT.*AK

NHTSA ID

754824

Incident

Sep 1, 2000

PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT LOCKS UP AND BECOMES EXTREMELY TIGHT WHEN VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN OR WHEN PASSENGER SLIGHTLY MOVES. *AK THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT, BUT THE PROBLEM REOCCURED. *YH

NHTSA ID

886928

Incident

Aug 1, 2000

SEAT BELT BUCKLE IN 2ND ROW IS DESIGNED SO THAT IT IS FORWARD OF SEAT CRACK AND CANNOT MOVE TO A COMPLETELY UPRIGHT POSITION. THIS CAUSES MAJOR MOVEMENT/ISECURE BELTING OF A CHILD CONVERTIBLE BOOSTER SEAT, ESPECIALLY FRONT-TO-BACK MOVEMENT. THIS MOVEMENT OCCURS EVEN WITH THE TETHER ANCHOR STRAP INSTALLED. WE COMPLAINED TO MAZDA AND WANTED THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES REPLACED (TO MATCH THE REDESIGNED AND WORKABLE SEAT BELTS IN THE 2001 MODELS) OR THE ENTIRE SEAT REPLACED WITH THE 2001 SEATS. SO FAR, WE HAVE HAD LITTLE SUCCESS GETTING ANY FEEDBACK FROM MAZDA. ADDITIONALLY, ONCE WE BEGAN PURSUING THIS WEITH MAZDA, THREEE DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMPANY HAVE INFORMED US THAT NO CHILD SEATS OF ANY KIND ARE TO BE USED IN THE 2ND ROW OF THE 2000 MPVS. HOWEVER, THEY WENT AHEAD AND INSTALLED A TETHER ANCHOR MOUNTING KIT BEHIND THE SECOND ROW (AS THEY HAVE DONE FOR MANY OTHER CUSTOMERS TOO). DOESN'T THAT IMPLY THAT YOU COULD USE CHILD SEATS IN THE SECOND ROW? IF YOU TRULY CANNOT INSTALL CHILD SEATS IN THE 2ND ROW OF THE 2000 MPVS, THEN AN ENTIRE YEAR'S WORTH OF MPVS WERE SOLD UNDER FALSE PRETENSES AS MOST MINIVAN OWNERS HAVE SMALL CHILDREN AND BELT THEIR CAR SEATS IN THE SECOND ROW. ALSO, THE 2000 MPV USER MANUAL ILLUSTRATES PUTTING CHILD SEATS INT HE 2ND ROW -- CONTRADICTING WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY BY MAZDA. WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT A MAJOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURER CAN SELL MINIVANS WHICH APPARENTLY ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR SAFE USE OF CAR SEATS IN THE 2ND ROW. PROBABLY MANY UNINFORMED MPV OWNERS CURRENTLY HAVE THEIR CHILD SEATS IN THE 2ND ROW. WE HAD HOPED THAT MAZDA WOULD TAKE A PROACTIVE STANCE ON THIS ISSUE, BUT WHAT WE HAVE MOSTLY HEARD IS, "CHILD SEATS MUST BE INSTALLED IN THE 3RD ROW ONLY AND CANNOT BE INSTALLED IN THE 2ND ROW." PLEASE INVESTIGATE HOW MAZDA IS ABLE TO SELL THESE VEHICLES WITHOUT FIRST INFORMING THE CONSUMER OF THIS ISSUE, AND INVESTIGATE MAZDA'S UNWILLINGNESS TO INVESTIGATE FIXING THIS ISSUE.*AK

NHTSA ID

739793

CAR SAFETY SEAT WAS STRAPPED IN MIDDLE ROW ON PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT. WHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A PASSENGER SIDE COLLISION IT CAUSED VEHICLE TO ROLL, AND SEAT BELT, THAT HELD CAR SAFETY SEAT, UNBUCKLED WHILE VEHICLE WAS ROLLING OVER.*AK THE TWO YEAR TODDLER WAS INJURED DURING THE ACCIDENT. *YH

NHTSA ID

875637

Incident

Nov 23, 2000

SEAT BELTS LOCK UP WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING, THEY DO NOT RELEASE. I BELIEVE DESIGN DEFECT IN THAT BELTS ARE TOO SHORT. MIDDLE SEAT MOVES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. WHEN IN THE LEFT POSITION, IT LOCKS UP IMMEDIATELY. MANUFACTURER SAYS OPERATING NORMALLY.

NHTSA ID

722508

Incident

Jul 7, 1999

THE FIXED SEAT BELT ANCHORS PREVENT SAFE INSTALLATION OF CHILD AND INFANT CAR SEATS. THE POINT WHERE THE BUCKLE ENGAGES THE ANCHOR IS TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE CAR SEAT TO PROPERLY SECURE THE CHILD SEAT. THE CHILD SEAT HAS TOO MUCH FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AFTER THE SEAT BELT IS BUCKLED AND TIGHTENED.

NHTSA ID

719168

SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, WE HAVE HAD A PROBLEMS KEEPING OUR 2-YEAR OLD'S CAR SEAT SECURED PROPERLY. THE SEATBELTS IN THE MIDDLE SEATS AND REAR SEAT WILL NOT TIGHTEN AND/OR LOOSEN AFTER BUCKLING, CAUSING THE CAR SEAT TO SHIFT AND MOVE EASILY. I FELT WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND FINALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN IT TO THE DEALER. AFTER OVER AND HOUR AND THROUGHT THE EFFORTS OF A SERVICE ADVISOR AND A LEAD SERVICE TECHNICIAN, IT WAS DETERMINED THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF DESIGN FLAW IN THE SEATBELT WHICH PREVENTED THE BELTS FROM LOCKING PROPERLY. THEY ALSO DID NOT FEEL THAT INSTALLING A TETHER WOULD REMEDY THE PROBLEM TO AN APPROPRIATE DEGREE OF SAFETY. THEY ALSO CALLED MAZDA HEADQUARTERS WHO INFORMED THEM THAT YES, THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE SEATBELTS BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A RESOLUTION AT THIS TIME AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY WILL. THE SERVICE ADVISORS ONLY RECOMMENDATION TO ME IS THAT I FIND ANOTHER CAR SEAT THAT MIGHT WORK WITH THESE SEATS. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE NONE. THUS, EACH TIME MY FAMILY AND I RIDE IN THE CAR, MY 2-YEAR OLD'S LIFE IS AT STAKE SINCE WE CANNOT SAFELY INSTALL A CAR SEAT WITHIN THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ME ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN ON SEEKING REMEDY TO THIS PROBLEM. WE WILL ANXIOUSLY AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE. *AK

NHTSA ID

718907

THIS IS OF UTMOST CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN IN CAR-SEATS OR BOOSTER SEATS. THE SEAT BELT ANCHORS FOR THE 2ND AND 3RD ROW SEATS ARE OF SOLID, INFLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION. THIS INFLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION COMBINED WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE ANCHORS DOES NOT ALLOW THE SAFE INSTALLATION OF MOST INFANT CAR SEATS AND TODDLER BOOSTER SEATS. OUT OF SEVEN INFANT AND BOOSTER SEATS TRIED, ONLY ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO BE INSTALLED SOMEWHAT CORRECTLY. THE PLACEMENT AND INFLEXIBILITY OF THE ANCHORS REQUIRES THAT THE LAP PORTION OF THE SEATBELT BE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 7 INCHES AWAY FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE SEAT FACE AND BACK. THIS ACUTALLY PULLS A TYPICAL CAR SEAT AWAY FROM THE SEAT BACK AND DOES NOT WORK SAFELY. *AK

NHTSA ID

718394

Incident

Dec 25, 1999