NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Engineering Analysis EA96-016: INCONSISTENT SAFETY BELT BUCKLE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA96-016 on June 28, 1996 and closed it on December 17, 1997. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager for it and links recall 97V-148 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- EA96-016 (also written EA96016)
- 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 17, 1997
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Seat Belts
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 97V-148 (NHTSA record)
- Vehicles and equipment
- Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA96-016.
safety belt buckle hosing slips down, pinching the red release button.owners report having trouble opening and closing them many allege belt unlatches while driving because of the release buttom
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA96-016. 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.
Dodge
Dodge Caravan
Plymouth
Plymouth Voyager
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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for EA96-016
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.