Britax preliminary evaluation PE21007
2015 Britax ClickTight Frontier XE. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the seats. Opened Mar 11, 2021, closed Nov 1, 2021 after 8 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn view of the information gathered during this investigation, no determination as to the cause of the incident seat structural failure has been established. With over two million subject and Britax peer child seats in service, no additional structural failures were identified. Given these circumstances, ODI is closing this investigation. Closing PE21-007 does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. Please see attached closing document for a complete summary.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themNHTSA filed this action against Britax Child Safety, Inc. without naming a model year — an equipment or manufacturer-level query.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE21007 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is PE21007 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 1, 2021 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE21007 cover?
NHTSA filed it against Britax Child Safety, Inc. without naming a model year.