NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE02-067: ALLEGED FAILURE OF 2ND ROW SEATBELT ALR
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE02-067 on September 25, 2002 and closed it on February 11, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists 8 models from 2 makes for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE02-067 (also written PE02067)
- 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 11, 2003
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Components
- Seat Belts; Seat Belts — Rear/Other
- Vehicles and equipment
- 8 models from 2 makes, including the Chevrolet C/K PICKUPS and Chevrolet Suburban
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 PE02-067.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR (ALR) IS A FEATURE INCORPORATED IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLE FOR LOCKING THE WEBBING TO PROPERLY SECURE A CHILD SAFETY SEAT INTO A VEHICLE.THIS PE WAS OPENED BASED ON A GM TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN STATING THAT WITH CERTAIN CHILD SAFETY SEATS THE WEBBING MAY NOT REMAIN LOCKED.THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS IN THE ODI DATABASE AND ONLY TWO COMPLAINTS TO GM.GM'S INSTRUCTIONS STATE FOR THE FINAL STEP IN USING THE WEBBING LOCK FEATURE TO PUSH AND PULL THE CHILD RESTRAINT TO BE SURE IT IS SECURE. IF THE ALR IS NOT LOCKED, THE USER WOULD BE FULLY AWARE OF THIS CONDITION PRIOR TO COMPLETING PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN THIS VEHICLE.THIS INVESTIGATION DID NOT UNCOVER ANY COMPLAINTS OF THE ALR INADVERTENTLY UNLOCKING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.THE EMERGENCY LOCKING RETRACTOR (ELR) FEATURE REMAINS AVAILABLE TO LOCK THE RETRACTOR IN A CRASH.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.SEE ATTACHED SUMMARY FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE02-067. 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE02-067
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.