NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA05-022: FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE MALFUNCTION

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA05-022 on December 27, 2005, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE05-046, whose summary cites it, and closed it on December 21, 2006. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2002 Jeep Liberty for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: EA05-022 (also written EA05022)
Investigation type: Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
Status: Closed December 21, 2006
Opened: December 27, 2005
Closed: December 21, 2006
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component: Seat Belts — Front — Buckle Assembly
Vehicles and equipment: 2002 Jeep Liberty

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA05-022.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) HAS CLOSED THE INVESTIGATION OF FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES IN MODEL YEAR 2002 JEEP LIBERTY VEHICLES.ON AUGUST 26, 2006, ODI OPENED PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE)05-046 TO INVESTIGATE COMPLAINT REPORTS THAT ALLEGED PROBLEMS WITH LATCHING AND UNLATCHING THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE.SEVERAL OF THE COMPLAINTS REPORTED THAT SOMETHING WAS BROKEN INSIDE OF THE BUCKLE.THE INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT SOME BUCKLES MAY EXPERIENCE FAILURE AND SEPARATION OF ONE, OR BOTH, OF THE INTERNAL LATCH GUIDE LEAF SPRINGS.LACK OF LEAF SPRING FUNCTION DOES NOT APPEAR TO INHIBIT BUCKLE OPERATION BECAUSE THERE IS ANOTHER SPRING THAT RETURNS THE RELEASE BUTTON.HOWEVER, A SEPARATED LEAF SPRING MAY IMPEDE THE MOTION OF THE BUCKLE RELEASE BUTTON IF IT BECOMES ENGAGED WITH MOVING PARTS.ANALYSIS OF THE AVAILABLE DATA SHOW THAT VEHICLES EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE BUCKLES WERE EARLY PRODUCTION VEHICLES PRODUCED PRIMARILY IN CALENDAR YEAR (CY) 2001.

IN EARLY CY 2002, A CHANGE WAS MADE TO THE TOOLING USED TO PRODUCE THE BUCKLES. THIS CHANGE AFFECTED THE LEAF SPRINGS AND APPEARS TO HAVE HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT IN CORRECTING THE BUCKLE ISSUES THAT WERE EXPERIENCED IN THE EARLY PRODUCTION VEHICLES.THE COMPLAINT REPORT TREND IS DOWN AND THE FREQUENCY OF CONSUMER REPORTS IN CY 2006 HAS DECLINED TO THAT OF CY 2004.

SEE DOCUMENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS RESUME.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA05-022. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Jeep

Jeep Liberty
- 2002

All Jeep recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Jeep VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA05-022

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.