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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE12-031: Child Seat Harness Buckle

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE12-031 on October 15, 2012 and closed it on March 4, 2013. NHTSA's investigations file lists 22 Graco models for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
PE12-031 (also written PE12031)
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 March 4, 2013
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
Graco Children's Products, Inc.
Components
Child Seat — Harness/Crotch Buckle; Child Seat — Harness — Strap/Webbing
Vehicles and equipment
22 Graco models, including the 175166 (NAUTILUS) and 1761306 (NAUTILUS)

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 PE12-031.

The investigation has been upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA 13-001 for further study. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 25 reports from consumers that alleged difficulty in unlatching the harness buckle on their subject child seat.

Since opening the investigation, ODI has received 55 additional reports.

Consumers state that excessive force and/or effort is required to push the button to unlatch the harness.

Some reported not being able to unlatch the buckle at all and were forced to remove their child by pulling them through the still buckled harness, or in some cases, by cutting the harness straps.

The subject child seats utilize two different types (designs) of harness buckles, the Signature and the QT types, both of which are subject to the investigation.

Each buckle type operates differently and has dissimilar latching and actuating mechanisms.

The Signature buckle has a sliding release button that must be pushed downward to release the harness, while the QT buckle has a button that must be pushed inward to be released.

The ODI reports can be reviewed at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10361369, 10366522, 10366645, 10366950, 10383056, 10397307, 10397449, 10406827, 10410574, 10413648, 10413817, 10414471, 10418155, 10421053, 10428246, 10430498, 10433600, 10444493, 10444593, 10454295, 10454393, 10454450, 10455029, 10456547, 10463507, 10466250, 10467797, 10473717, 10475529, 10475529, 10477267, 10478809, 10481182, 10481219, 10481233, 10481236, 10481243, 10482654, 10482941, 10483551, 10483732, 10483940, 10485417, 10486165, 10487751, 10487824, 10488855, 10489296, 10489536, 10489662, 10490292, 10491819, 10493243, 10493351, 10493614, 10493620, 10493649, 10493668, 10493716, 10494411, 10494567, 10494580, 10494635, 10494769, 10494876, 10495042, 10495130, 10495301, 10496034, 10496063, 10496146, 10496344, 10496470, 10497637, 10497771, 10498293, 10498308, 10498468, 10498529, 10499325

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE12-031. 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.

Graco

  • Graco 8J00MTX (NAUTILUS)

    • model year not given

  • Graco 175166 (NAUTILUS)

    • 2009

  • Graco 1761306 (NAUTILUS)

    • 2010

  • Graco 1763461 (NAUTILUS)

    • 2012

  • Graco Argos 70

    • model year not given

  • Graco Classic Ride 50

    • model year not given

  • Graco Comfortsport

    • model year not given

  • Graco Cozy Cline

    • model year not given

  • Graco Infant Safe Seat - Step 1

    • model year not given

  • Graco My Ride 65

    • model year not given

  • Graco My Ride 70

    • model year not given

  • Graco My Ride Safety Surround

    • model year not given

  • Graco Nautilus Elite

    • model year not given

  • Graco SIZE4ME 70

    • 2012

  • Graco Smart Seat

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride 22

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride 30

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride 32

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride 35

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride Click Connect 40

    • model year not given

  • Graco Snugride Oasis 1802503

    • 2012

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 PE12-031

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.