Investigation PE87035: 1977–1979 Dodge Colt

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Jul 1, 1987

Closed

Sep 8, 1987

Model years

1977–1979

Subject

Seat blt stalk cable wires

Component: Seat belts

Summary

Summary:a review of the recent canadian vehicle recall information pro-vided by transport canada revealed that chrysler is conducting a safetyrecall campaign in canada (code 393) on certain 1977 thru 1979 dodge andplymouth colt vehicles to replace the front seat belt stalks.a review of available information revealed that no owner complaints re-ceived by odi and chrysler; no field reports, service or technical bulletinsubrogation claims or lawsuits concerning failure of the front seat beltstalk have been identified by chrysler.according to chrysler's response,stalk cable wire failure was caused by a combination of abnormal seat beltusage-repeated extreme twisting or acute bending of the stalk-and lowtemperature operation.based on the above, it appears that stalk cablefailure does not frequently occur on the relatively old subject vehiclesin the u.s. Therefore, it is recommended that this pe be closed.===

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.