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2000 DODGE DAKOTA — SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER

1 injured · 396568 · 2003-03-05

Vehicle

Make
DODGE
Model
DAKOTA
Year
2000
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
Miles at failure
26,389

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
No
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

THE SLIDING SEAT BELT CLIP ON THE REAR MIDDLE SEAT OF THE 2000 DODGE DAKOTA EXTENDED CAB LOSES TENSION ON VERY SHORT TRIPS (I.E., 3 MILES OR MORE). THIS LOSS OF TENSION HAS RENDERED THE SEAT UNSAFE FOR TRANSPORTING CHILDREN AND ADULTS BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT DOES NOT STAY SNUG AGAINST A PERSON'S BODY AND LACKS A TENSIONING DEVICE. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND DESPITE MULTIPLE DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE DEFECTIVE CONDITION, THE MANUFACTURER ADHERES TO THE CLAIM THAT THE SEAT BELT OPERATES ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS OR THE REAR MIDDLE SEAT IS NOT MADE FOR TRANSPORTING CHILDREN EVEN THOUGH AN AVERAGE ADULT WOULD NOT FIT FOR LACK OF LEG AND SHOULDER ROOM. NEVERTHELESS, DESPITE THE UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION, MY HUSBAND HAS TRAVELED IN THAT SEAT AND THE SEAT BELT STILL COMES LOOSE. THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS THAT THE SEAT BELT WILL OPERATE IF POSITIONED AT A PRECISE ANGLE WHICH IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DUPLICATE UNDER NORMAL USE. ON ONE OCCASION, WHILE TURNING, MY DAUGHTER'S CAR SEAT FLIPPED BECAUSE THE SEATBELT WAS LOOSE.*JB

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10008430
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown