Seat beltsRecall 14V-243 · Pierce vehicles
Pierce Manufacturing recall 14V-243 covers 150 Pierce vehicles for a seat belts problem, reported to NHTSA on May 13, 2014. The manufacturer's latest report (2015 Q3) shows 69% of affected vehicles repaired.
Source: NHTSA recall 14V243000 and manufacturer quarterly reports. Started by an NHTSA defect investigation.
The problem
Pierce Manufacturing (Pierce) is recalling certain model year 2013 Arrow XT, Dash CF, Impel, and Velocity vehicles manufactured October 2013 through January 2014, and equipped with IMMI-brand L9 seat belt buckles. When the button is pressed to release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, making the seat belt difficult to unlatch. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
The risk
If the latch plate remains partially engaged after the button is pressed, egress from the vehicle could be hindered which would increase the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
The fix
Pierce will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt buckle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 26, 2014. Owners may contact Pierce at 1-888-974-3723. Pierce's number for this campaign is 74B246.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Recall repairs are free. Confirm whether this recall is open on your vehicle by entering its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
How fast cars are being fixed
69%repaired
Share of affected vehicles repaired in each quarterly report the manufacturer filed with NHTSA.
Vehicles in this recall
Built from October 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014. Not every vehicle in these model years is included; check by VIN.
The investigation behind this recall
- Seat Belt May Be Difficult to UnfastenNHTSA