NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA94-039: AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA94-039 on November 30, 1994 and closed it on November 26, 1997. NHTSA's investigations file lists 4 Mazda models for it and links recall 97V-211 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA94-039 (also written EA94039)
- 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 November 26, 1997
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturers
- Mazda Motor Corp.; Mazda North American Operations
- Component
- Seat Belts
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 97V-211 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- 4 Mazda models, including the 323 and Protege
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA94-039. 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.
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.
Mazda VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA94-039
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.