In January 2004, Mazda filed a statutory recall with Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) concerning the Seat belt, covering the Escape, Tribute. The filing affects 14,413 vehicles manufactured between October 16, 2000 and August 2001.
Overview
| MLIT filing number | 1110230 |
|---|---|
| Type | Statutory Recall (government-mandated recall) |
| Date filed | January 29, 2004 |
| Manufacturer(s) | Mazda |
| Component | Seat belt |
| Production period | October 16, 2000 — August 2001 |
| Vehicles affected | 14,413 units |
Filing in context
The Seat belt is the most frequently cited component category in this archive, appearing in 26 of its 4,890 filings. This filing is one of 32 Mazda notifications from 2004 in this archive. For scale, 1,412 of the 4,890 filings in this archive report a larger number of affected vehicles; the vehicles involved here were manufactured over a span of about 10 months.
Defect
The internal structure of the seat belt buckle cover on the driver and front passenger seats is inappropriate. Repeated bending of the belt between the buckle and the cable guide damages the projection inside the cover—which is designed to prevent abnormal noise when the belt is fastened—and fragments of that projection become lodged in the lock mechanism. As a result, the lock mechanism fails to operate correctly, and the belt either cannot be fastened or releases under slight load such as body movement after fastening.
Corrective action
On all vehicles, inspect the driver and front passenger seat belt buckles. If the belt locks securely, replace the buckle cover with the corrected part. If the belt does not lock securely, replace the complete buckle assembly with a new part.
Affected models & chassis ranges
This filing lists 4 type code(s). A vehicle is affected if its chassis number falls within one of the ranges below.
| Type code (型式) | Model | Chassis ranges |
|---|---|---|
| LA-EPFW | TRIBUTE | EPFW-100017 — EPFW-105128 |
| LA-EPFWF | Escape | EPFWF-100013 — EPFWF-101397 |
| TA-EPEW | TRIBUTE | EPEW-100009 — EPEW-107337 |
| TA-EPEWF | Escape | EPEWF-100009 — EPEWF-100635 |
Original Japanese (MLIT source text)
Show the original Japanese filing text
状況
運転席及び助手席の座席ベルトにおいて、ベルトバックルのカバー内側の構造が不適切な ため、ベルトバックルとケーブルガイドの間を繰り返し折り曲げると、当該カバー内側に ある突起（ベルト装着時の異音を防止するためのもの）が破損し、その破片がロック機構 に噛み込むものがある。そのため、ロック機構が正常に作動しなくなりベルトが装着でき ない、または装着したベルトが体を動かすなどわずかな負荷で外れるおそれがある。
改善措置
全車両、運転席及び助手席のベルトバックルを点検し、ベルトが確実にロックする場合は 、当該ベルトバックルのカバーを対策品と交換する。また、ベルトが確実にロックしない 場合は、ベルトバックル一式を新品と交換する。
Source & verification
This entry reproduces public data from Japan's MLIT recall registry. English text is jdmvin.com's own translation; always verify against the official source:
https://renrakuda.mlit.go.jp/renrakuda/ris-detail-car.html?class=recalldatacar&id=3000662
Related recalls
Same manufacturer, same component
Other Mazda filings involving the Seat belt, closest to this one by filing date.
Other recalls affecting the same models
Filings whose affected type codes overlap with this one, newest first.
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Open recall detail →Primary Brake System — General — affects 7,250 vehicles.
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Open recall detail →Pressure control/transmission unit — affects 669 vehicles.
Open recall detail →