NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE04-060: FAILING SEAT BELT BUCKLES
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE04-060 on August 17, 2004 and closed it on February 3, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2000–2001 Cadillac Deville for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE04-060 (also written PE04060)
- 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 3, 2005
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Components
- Seat Belts; Seat Belts — Front; Seat Belts — Front — Buckle Assembly
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2000–2001 Cadillac Deville
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 PE04-060.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
ON AUGUST 17, 2004, ODI OPENED AN INVESTIGATION BASED ON TWO COMPLAINTS AND ONE INSURANCE COMPANY REPORT ALLEGING DRIVER AND/OR FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT UNBUCKLING DURING CRASHES ON MODEL YEAR (MY) 2000 AND 2001 CADILLAC DEVILLE SEDANS.ON OCTOBER 8, 2004, GM SUBMITTED DATA TO ODI RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THIS DATA CONTAINED INFORMATION ABOUT SYSTEM DESIGN, SYSTEM OPERATION, SEAT BELT BUCKLE TESTING AND CONSUMER COMPLAINTS.BASED ON ITS ANALYSIS OF THE DATA, ODI HAS DETERMINED THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED REGARDING SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS OF UNWANTED SEATBELT UNBUCKLING DURING A CRASH.AT THIS TIME, FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.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 CIRCUMSTANCESSEE ATTACHED SUMMARY REPORT
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE04-060. 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.
Cadillac
All Cadillac recallsWhat 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.
Cadillac VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE04-060
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.