2000 MAZDA MPV Seat Belts Problems

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE LATCH SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE. HE TOOK THE CAR TO A CERTIFIED INSPECTION STATION IN HIS CITY ON 11-02-05 TO HAVE THE SAFETY SEAT INSPECTED AND TURNED TO FACE FORWARD. THEY TOLD HIM THEY WOULD NOT TURN THE SAFETY SEAT BECAUSE THE LATCH SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY WITH A FORWARD FACING CHILD SEAT. THE CLIP BETWEEN THE SEATS WAS FACING FORWARD, INSTEAD OF VERTICAL, CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO GET TWISTED AND BUNCHED UP. THIS CAUSED THE SAFETY SEAT TO LURCH FORWARD WHEN INSTALLED IN A FORWARD FACING POSITION. THE LATCH SYSTEM WILL ALLOW PROPER INSTALLATION OF A REAR FACING INFANT SEAT.*AK 11/15/05. *JB

Mileage: 86,000

FOIA REQUEST A FULL COPY OF NHTSA BULLETIN 0800102, NHTSA ITEM 634469 RE SEAT BELT COMFORT IN A 2000 MAZDA MPV. (NAR) *LA *CB *JB

FOIA REQUEST A FULL COPY OF THE CONTENTS OF ODI INVESTIGATION COMPLAINT# 875637, RE SEAT BELTS, FRONT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY. (NAR) *LA *CB *JB

CONSUMER STATES WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE ON, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD. *AK THE GEAR SHIFT WOULD STICK IN PARK OR MOVE BY ITSELF, THE RIGHT REAR DOOR WOULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND FAILED TO CLOSE PROPERLY, AND ONE OF THE SEAT BELTS WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS. *SCC *JB

THE REAR SEAT BELT BECAME SO TIGHT, IT HAD TO BE CUT IN ORDER FOR THE PASSENGER TO GET OUT. *JB *TS. THE CONSUMER STATED IT WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE. *JB

Mileage: 44,000

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN PUTTING ON THE REAR SEAT BELT IT WOULD NOT BE TIGHT ENOUGH FOR IT TO FIT THE CONSUMER PROPERLY. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. TS

FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEATBELT TIGHTENS WITH MINIMAL MOVEMENT, RETRACTS, LOCKS UP AND WILL NOT RELEASE. PASSENGER MUST UNBUCKLE SEAT BELT DUE TO EXTREME DISCOMFORT.*AK

PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT LOCKS UP AND BECOMES EXTREMELY TIGHT WHEN VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN OR WHEN PASSENGER SLIGHTLY MOVES. *AK THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT, BUT THE PROBLEM REOCCURED. *YH

CAR SAFETY SEAT WAS STRAPPED IN MIDDLE ROW ON PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT. WHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A PASSENGER SIDE COLLISION IT CAUSED VEHICLE TO ROLL, AND SEAT BELT, THAT HELD CAR SAFETY SEAT, UNBUCKLED WHILE VEHICLE WAS ROLLING OVER.*AK THE TWO YEAR TODDLER WAS INJURED DURING THE ACCIDENT. *YH

SEAT BELTS LOCK UP WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING, THEY DO NOT RELEASE. I BELIEVE DESIGN DEFECT IN THAT BELTS ARE TOO SHORT. MIDDLE SEAT MOVES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. WHEN IN THE LEFT POSITION, IT LOCKS UP IMMEDIATELY. MANUFACTURER SAYS OPERATING NORMALLY.

THE FIXED SEAT BELT ANCHORS PREVENT SAFE INSTALLATION OF CHILD AND INFANT CAR SEATS. THE POINT WHERE THE BUCKLE ENGAGES THE ANCHOR IS TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE CAR SEAT TO PROPERLY SECURE THE CHILD SEAT. THE CHILD SEAT HAS TOO MUCH FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AFTER THE SEAT BELT IS BUCKLED AND TIGHTENED.

SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, WE HAVE HAD A PROBLEMS KEEPING OUR 2-YEAR OLD'S CAR SEAT SECURED PROPERLY. THE SEATBELTS IN THE MIDDLE SEATS AND REAR SEAT WILL NOT TIGHTEN AND/OR LOOSEN AFTER BUCKLING, CAUSING THE CAR SEAT TO SHIFT AND MOVE EASILY. I FELT WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND FINALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN IT TO THE DEALER. AFTER OVER AND HOUR AND THROUGHT THE EFFORTS OF A SERVICE ADVISOR AND A LEAD SERVICE TECHNICIAN, IT WAS DETERMINED THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF DESIGN FLAW IN THE SEATBELT WHICH PREVENTED THE BELTS FROM LOCKING PROPERLY. THEY ALSO DID NOT FEEL THAT INSTALLING A TETHER WOULD REMEDY THE PROBLEM TO AN APPROPRIATE DEGREE OF SAFETY. THEY ALSO CALLED MAZDA HEADQUARTERS WHO INFORMED THEM THAT YES, THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE SEATBELTS BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A RESOLUTION AT THIS TIME AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY WILL. THE SERVICE ADVISORS ONLY RECOMMENDATION TO ME IS THAT I FIND ANOTHER CAR SEAT THAT MIGHT WORK WITH THESE SEATS. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE NONE. THUS, EACH TIME MY FAMILY AND I RIDE IN THE CAR, MY 2-YEAR OLD'S LIFE IS AT STAKE SINCE WE CANNOT SAFELY INSTALL A CAR SEAT WITHIN THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ME ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN ON SEEKING REMEDY TO THIS PROBLEM. WE WILL ANXIOUSLY AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE. *AK

THIS IS OF UTMOST CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN IN CAR-SEATS OR BOOSTER SEATS. THE SEAT BELT ANCHORS FOR THE 2ND AND 3RD ROW SEATS ARE OF SOLID, INFLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION. THIS INFLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION COMBINED WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE ANCHORS DOES NOT ALLOW THE SAFE INSTALLATION OF MOST INFANT CAR SEATS AND TODDLER BOOSTER SEATS. OUT OF SEVEN INFANT AND BOOSTER SEATS TRIED, ONLY ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO BE INSTALLED SOMEWHAT CORRECTLY. THE PLACEMENT AND INFLEXIBILITY OF THE ANCHORS REQUIRES THAT THE LAP PORTION OF THE SEATBELT BE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 7 INCHES AWAY FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE SEAT FACE AND BACK. THIS ACUTALLY PULLS A TYPICAL CAR SEAT AWAY FROM THE SEAT BACK AND DOES NOT WORK SAFELY. *AK