NHTSA complaint: 1999 CHEVROLET VAN — SEAT BELTS
SEAT RETAINING BOLTS "FELL OUT" WHILE BRAKING FOR MAJOR ROADWAY. SEAT PIVOTED ABRUPTLY TOSSING DRIVER INTO STEERING WHEEL AND ONTO FLOOR. DRIVER STOPPED VEHICLE WITH HAND ON BRAKE WITHIN A FEW FEET OF A PASSING SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK TRAVELING AN ESTIMATED 60 MPH. A FRACTION OF A SECOND LATER AND FATALITIES WOULD HAVE BEEN CERTAIN! THE SEATS ARE PART OF A MARK III CONVERSION. THE RETAINING BOLTS APPEAR TO BE FASTENED WITH ALUMINUM WASHERS THAT OBVIOUSLY DO NOT HOLD UP WELL. THE SEAT HAS BEEN REPLACED; HOWEVER, I DO NOT KNOW IF THE DEFECT HAS BEEN APPROPRIATELY RECTIFIED.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation