NHTSA Defect Investigation #EA02032

SAFETY BELT ASSEMBLY FAILURE: Seat Belts

CLOSED

no recall issued

1998 PONTIAC TRANSPORT -- ODI identified 59 reports with the alleged defect.ODI was able to contact 44 of the 59 consumers in order to determine the specific cause of the latch problems.of the 44 owners contacted, ODI determined that four failures were due to an out-of-tolerance latch plate, and that 23 failures were due to a displaced buckle housing cover.the remaining 17 failures had indeterminable causes.of the 59 reports, there were three alleged minor injuries.no legal claims or lawsuits have been filed with regard to this alleged defect.based on the limited number of reports, and a declining report trend, this investigation is closed.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of Agency resources does not appeared to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.the Agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. See additional summary report. Investigation was initiated on November 18 2002. Closed on November 21 2003. For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #EA02032 »

NHTSA Defect Investigation #PE04064

POWER-SLIDING DOOR: Structure:Body:Door

RECALL »

Recall #04V597000

1998 PONTIAC TRANSPORT -- Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's chair seat back creating a risk of injury (other seating configurations have ample seat to door clearance to avoid entrapment of the lower arm).among the 103 total reports, there were 102 alleged injuries including arm/wrist, thumb and shoulder injuries.a count of injuries reveals that 76 injuries were a fractured or a broken arm/wrist requiring an immobilizing cast for four-to-six weeks.all injuries involve the right side power sliding door.the left side power sliding door is on far fewer vehicles, but more importantly, it produces less force.GM notified the Agency by letter dated December 21, 2004, that it will recall model year 1997 though early 2005 GM U-van vehicles equipped with a right side power sliding door and with 2nd-row bucket seats or captain chairs (NHTSA recall #04V597).as part of the recall remedy, GM will replace the door handle with a "flush mounted handle" that will prevent an occupant from grasping the handle with the palm between the handle and door panel (thumb up orientation) and thus eliminate the potential for arm/wrist entrapment.this investigation is closed. Investigation was initiated on September 17 2004. Closed on December 22 2004. For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #PE04064 »

NHTSA Defect Investigation #PE02086

REAR AXLE TRAILING ARM FAILURE: Suspension**

CLOSED

no recall issued

** This defect investigation is filed under 2 related vehicle components.
1998 PONTIAC TRANSPORT -- Analysis of ODI and GM data has identified 14 incidents of rear trailing arm failures in model year (MY) 1997 through 1999 GM U-vans, including two that allegedly resulted in crashes. The trailing arm design in these vehicles is used in the U-vans from MY 1997 through 2003.according to GM, the subject trailing arms can crack or buckle if they have been damaged during assembly, pre-delivery handling, or certain service related abuse conditions (e.g., improper towing or jacking).GM identified a parts handling concern that was causing some trailing arms to be damaged prior to installation.to address this concern, GM implemented changes to the shipping containers from January 1999 through September 1999. Eight (8) of the reported incidents in MY 1997-99 U-vans, including the two crashes, occurred in the last 2 years.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to assess the trend and safety risk associated with the alleged defect. Investigation was initiated on November 18 2002. Closed on April 09 2003. For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #PE02086 »