NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE00-044: SEAT BELT WEBBING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE00-044 on November 3, 2000 and closed it on February 26, 2001. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2000 Ford Explorer for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE00-044 (also written PE00044)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed February 26, 2001
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Ford Motor Company
- Component
- Seat Belts — Front — Webbing
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2000 Ford Explorer
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 Preliminary Evaluation PE00-044.
ODI OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION ON NOVEMBER 3, 2000, BASED ON A REPORT REGARDING THE DEATH OF THE OCCUPANT OF THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT IN A 2000 MODEL YEAR FORD EXPLORER XLS INVOLVED IN A ROLL-OVER CRASH.IT IS ALLEGED THAT THE WEBBING OF THE BUCKLE PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY FAILED DURING THE CRASH.THE OCCUPANT WAS PARTIALLY EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE, THEREBY SUSTAINING FATAL INJURIES.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED FOR FURTHER STUDY.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE00-044. 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.
Ford
Ford Explorer
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.
Ford VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE00-044
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.