NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE05-018: SEAT BRACKET FAILURE
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE05-018 on April 21, 2005 and closed it on August 5, 2005. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1998, 2002 New Flyer D60HF for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE05-018 (also written PE05018)
- 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 August 5, 2005
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- New Flyer of America, Inc.
- Component
- Seats
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1998, 2002 New Flyer D60HF
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 PE05-018.
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER NOTIFICATION FROM A NEW YORK CITY BUS FLEET OF A MARCH 25, 2004 INCIDENT WHERE A SEAT COLLASPED ON A TRANSIT BUS SENDING TWO PASSENGERS TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN ONE INJURY.AN INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THERE ARE TWO SEAT DESIGNS INSTALLED IN THE BUSES.SEAT DESIGN ?A? SUFFERED THE FAILURE WHERE THE PASSENGERS FELL TO THE FLOOR.AN EXAMINATION OF THIS SEAT DESIGN REVEALED THAT THE SEATS WERE NOT PROPERLY SECURED TO THE WALL MOUNTING BRACKETS AND THEREFORE LOST THEIR RIGIDITY AND STABLILTY ALLOWING THE COLLAPSE.THIS PROBLEM IS DEEMED TO BE MAINTENANCE RELATED.FLEET PERSONNEL FURTHER STATED THAT AFTER EXAMINING THE REMAINING BUSES IN THE FLEET, 259 SEAT BRACKETS ON 223 BUSES WERE DISCOVERED TO HAVE SOME QUANTITY OF FRAME CRACKS.THE CRACKED SEAT DESIGN IS DESIGNATED AS SEAT FRAME ?B.?THE MAJORITY OF THE CRACKED SEATS (?B?) ARE LOCATED JUST FORWARD OF THE EXIT DOOR ON THE CURB SIDE OF THE BUS.THESE BUSES ARE A RELATIVELY LOW POPULATION VEHICLE, HAVING BEEN BUILT ONLY IN 1998 AND 2002 MODEL YEARS.THE BUSES ARE DIFFERENT FROM MOST IN THAT THEY WERE SPECIFIED WITH ?HIGH FLOORS.? (SUMMARY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-018. 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.
New Flyer
All New Flyer 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.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE05-018
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.