NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE98-030: FINGER CUTTING/PINCHING
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE98-030 on May 15, 1998 and closed it on June 30, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1997 Chevrolet Venture for it and links recall 98V-145 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE98-030 (also written PE98030)
- 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 June 30, 1998
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- General Motors, LLC
- Component
- Unknown or Other
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 98V-145: GM/SEAT LATCH/FINGER INJURIES, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1997 Chevrolet Venture
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE98-030.
ODI HAS RECEIVED THREE REPORTS INDICATING INJURIES OCCURRED TO CONSUMERS WHILE THEY WER FOLDING A SECOND ROW SEAT TO GAIN ACCES TO THE REAR OR THIRD ROW SEATS.WHEN FOLDING THE SEAT A PORTION OF THE SEAT FRAME MOVES IN A SCISSOR ACTION.TWO OF THE CONSUMERS SEVERED THE END OF THEIR FINGER AND THE THIRD SUFFERED A PINCHED FINGER.ALL REQUIRED EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN OPENED TO FURTHER STUDY THIS ISSUE.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE98-030. 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.
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Venture
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.
Chevrolet VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE98-030
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.