2000 Chevrolet Venture

THE CHEST BUCKLE ON THE BUILT-IN CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN MY 2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE CAN BE PULLED OPEN WITHOUT PUSHING THE RELEASE BUTTON. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY INJURIES BUT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO MY MOTHER'S VAN, ALSO A GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLE. HER DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ENTIRE BELT SYSTEM OF THE SEAT. GENERAL MOTORS HAS TOLD ME MY SEAT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME. I THINK THERE MAY BE A DEFECT AND AM AFRAID CHILDREN CAN BE HARMED OR EVEN KILLED IF INVILVED IN AN ACCIDENT.*AK

WE HAVE A BUILT IN CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT IN THE MIDDLE ROW OF OUR VAN. I NOTICED THAT THE CLIP THAT SITS BY A CHILDS CHEST DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. I COULD PULL IT APART BY GIVING A LITTLE TUG ON IT. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION AND THEY REPLACED THE SEAT. I THEN TESTED IT TO MAKE SURE IT WOULD WORK AND THE SAME THING OCCURRED, I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT APART JUST BY TUGGING ON IT. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT UNDER HIGH IMPACT IT WOULD LOCK UP. I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T FEEL CONFIDENT WITH THAT ANSWER AND THEY THEN INFORMED ME THAT GM GAVE THEM THIS INFORMATION. I WAS IN A ROLL OVER ACCIDENT WHERE MY VEHICLE ROLLED THREE TIMES AND WHEN I TURNED AROUND AFTER THE ACCIDENT I SAW MY 3 YR OLD SONS SEAT BELT WAS UNLATCHED. I BELIEVE IF THIS WAS A HEAD ON ACCIDENT MY SON WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT THE WINDOW. I"M GLAS I KEPT HIS COAT OVE HIS SHOULDERS AND LOCKED IN THE SEAT WITH HIM BECAUSE THIS MAY HAVE BEEN WHAT SAVED HIS LIFE. THIS IS ALL IN A POLICE REPORT WITH 2 PASSENGER WITNESSES. AS SOON AS I GOT HOME I BROUGHT THIS TO NEWBERRY MOTORS AND GM'S ATTENTION. BOTH PLACES IGNORED ME AND ACTED AS IF THERE WASN'T A PROBLEM. FINALLY AFTER OUR 3RD ATTEMPT AT TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO LISTEN AT GM WE GOT A CALL BACK FROM A GM REPRESENTITIVE. THIS GENTLEMAN OWNS THE EXACT TYPE OF VEHICLE, WENT HOME & TESTED HIS AND FOUND HIS FAILED IN THE SAME WAY. HE THEN CALLED AROUND TO OTHER DEALERSHIPS AND FOUND ALL FAILED IN THE SAME WAY. THEY TOLD US TO GO OUT AND BY A NEW CHILD SEAT AND THEY WOULD REIMBURSE ME, BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM GM ON THIS MATTER. MY ACCIDENT WAS 3/2002. MY CONCERN IS THAT I'M GOING TO HEAR ABOUT A KID THAT WAS NOT AS FORTUNATE AS MY SON. GM DID SAY THEY WERE GOING TO RESEARCH FURTHER AND ISSUE SOME SORT OF RECALL, BUT AS I SAID I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING FURTHER ON THIS MATTER. I WOULD THINK THAT CHILDRENS SAFETY WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM. I WOULD HOPE THAT SOMEONE WOULD DO SOMETHING QUICKLY! THANK YOU! *AK

THE INTEGRATED CHILD RESTRAINTS HAVE A CHEST LATCH. THIS LATCH IS ABLE TO BE PULLED APART BY MY 18 MO. OLD DAUGHTER WITHOUT UNLATCHING. I INVESTIGATED, AND FOUND THAT THEY ALL COME APART EASILY. BOTH CHILD SEATS WERE REPLACED AND THE NEW ONES ARE ABLE TO BE UNLATCHED BY SIMPLY PULLING THE BUCKLE APART. ONCE, MY DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR SEAT COMPLETELY AS WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. AND I AM CONCERNED IN A CRASH THAT THE LATCH WON'T HOLD, OR A CHILD CAN UNLATCH IT JUST BY PULLING ON IT.

WAS TRYING TO LATCH BUILT IN CHILD SEAT, LATCH WOULD FAIL TO CATCH IN BUCKLE MECHANISM IN CHEST AREA. WHEN IT WAS LOCKED, COULD PULL OR TUG ON IT & LATCH WOULD RELEASE. TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER. SERVICE MANAGER CHECKED LATCHING & INDICATED IT WAS OKAY, NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE. SALES PERSON INDICATED ALL VENTURES WITH BUILT IN SEATS ARE LIKE THAT.*AK

THE INTEGRATED CHILD SAFETY SEATS IN MY NEW 2000 CHEVY VENTURE DON'T ADEQUATELY PROTECT MY CHILDREN (AGES 22 MONTHS AND 40 MONTHS). THE KIDS ARE ABLE TO SLIDE DOWN THE CLASP THAT HOLDS THE CHEST STRAPS TOGETHER AND THEN SLIP THEIR ARMS OUT OF THEIR BELTS. THE YONGER CHILD THEN ATTEMPS TO REACH THE POWER SLIDING DOOR AS I'M DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. ALL OF THIS MAKES FOR A STRESSFUL CAR TRIPS. THE BUCKLES ARE TOO EASY TO OPERATE AND THERE IS NO MECHANISM TO KEEP THECLASP AT CHEST LEVEL WHERE IT BELONGS. ONCE THE KIDS SLIDE THEM DOWN TO THE CROTCH BUCKLE IT IS VERY EASY FOR THEM TO WIGGLE THEIR ARMS OUT OF THE BELTS. I'M WORRIED I'M GOING TO CRASH WHILE TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO PUT THEIR ARMS BACK IN THE STRAPS AND REBUCKLE THE CLASPS. I BOUGHT THE CAR BECAUSE I ASSUMED THE INTEGRATED SEATS WERE SAFE BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER PUT THEM IN THE VEHICLE BUT AS IT TURNS OUT THEY ARE VERY UNSAFE. I DON'T WANT MY KIDS TO GET INJURED WHILE SITTING IN A SEAT THAT WAS DESIGNED TO PROTECT THEM! *AK