NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE18-015: Lap seat belts fail to latch
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-015 on December 17, 2018 and closed it on September 11, 2019. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 IC Bus models for it and links recalls 19V-478 and 19V-479 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE18-015 (also written PE18015)
- 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 September 11, 2019
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Navistar, Inc.
- Components
- Seat Belts; Seat Belts — Rear/Other — Buckle Assembly; Seat Belts — Front; Seat Belts — Front — Buckle Assembly; Seat Belts — Front — Retractor
- Recalls linked by NHTSA
- Vehicles and equipment
- 3 IC Bus models, including the BE and CE
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE18-015.
try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), received a complaint from a school bus fleet alleging seat belt failures in their model year 2011 Navistar IC (Navistar) school buses, equipped with AmSafe non-retractable passenger two-point seat belts. Following receipt of this complaint, ODI reached out to multiple school bus fleets across the country operating similar buses and confirmed the problem also existed in other buses.
Following confirmation of similar seat belt failures in other school districts, NHTSA opened investigation (PE18-015) on December 17, 2018 to assess the manufacturer's data including warranty claims, field reports, design changes, etc.
The scope of this investigation included all model year 2011 through 2016 Navistar school buses. Analysis of the manufacturer data provided to NHTSA in response to this investigation showed high seat belt failure rates in model year 2011 Navistar BE, CE and RE school buses when compared to peer vehicles. The elevated failure rates dropped on vehicles produced after two design changes made by the manufacturer during the production of 2011-2016 seat belts. Navistar implemented a dimensional change to the metal tongue on April 25, 2012 and started utilizing a more robust (car-type) seat belt starting April 3, 2015. The combination of these two changes significantly decreased the seat belt warranty rates in model year 2012-2016 buses. Navistar?s testing and engineering analysis showed that long term cycle fatigue (buckling and unbuckling the seat belt) can cause the plastic fingers attached to the metal tongue to crack and fall off. The missing fingers can result in an elevated force necessary to latch the tongue in the buckle.
The elevated force required can prevent the buckle from latching, increasing the risk of an injury in the event of a crash. By a letter dated June 21, 2019 Navistar notified NHTSA of a safety defect in their model year 2011 Navistar IC BE, CE and RE school buses built with AmSafe non-retractable passenger two-point seat belts and initiated safety recall 19V-478. With recall action 19V-478 taken by Navistar this investigation is closed. Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist on other model or MY vehicles outside of the recall scope. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE18-015. 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.
IC Bus
All IC Bus 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 PE18-015
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.