Video released: Trading Standards recalls 16,000 seatbelts after 50kmh crash test fail

Tuesday, 14 May 2019

A crash test video showing the shocking failure of an imported brand of seatbelt has been released by Trading Standards.

The public safety body is urging drivers to check whether their cars have any of the 16,000 unsafe BVL-branded seatbelts, which can fail in crashes at speeds of as low as 50kmh.

In crash testing, the BVL belts failed, hurling test dummies out of their seats, with the shoulder anchor point and the retractor mechanisms both failing.

The crash test video shows the test dummy bursting forward through the seatbelt on impact, before collapsing to the right.

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Trading Standards, which is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, issued a recall for the seatbelts in November, but has not yet managed to alert all owners of cars, buses, vans and motorhomes with the unsafe belts imported from China by Business Venture Limited (BVL).

'We are urgently reminding consumers who own second hand vehicles or who have had replacement seatbelts fitted, to check their seatbelt labels for these brands. If the label shows the BVL logo and/or manufacturers name Changzhou BWD or Jiang Su Jiu Jiu, they are advised to immediately contact BVL to have them replaced,' said Trading Standards' safety team leader Martin Rushton.

Trading Standards' advice for people who have the BVL seatbelts in their cars is not to use the cars until the seatbelts has been replaced.

In its recall notice, Trading Standards said: 'If these belts are fitted in the driver's seat, our advice is to not use the vehicle until replacements are fitted. If fitted in other seating positions, our advice is to not allow passengers to use those seats.'

'If your vehicle has an affected seatbelt please contact the reseller from whom you purchased the belt for advice on getting the seatbelts replaced with a safe alternative. Alternatively, please contact Business Ventures Limited on info@bvl.co.nz or 09 574 6724.'

Trading Standards said the unsafe seatbelts may have been on-sold by various auto parts stores throughout New Zealand at any time since 2008.

BVL seatbelts were used as replacements for damaged original seatbelts, often after a failed Warrant of Fitness, and were also used by modifiers who added seats and seatbelts to vehicles, Trading Standards said.

In crash testing, failure occurred in the shoulder anchor point (D-ring) and theretractor mechanism failed to lock and prevent runout of the belt.

Trading Standards said the labels on the seatbelts indicated certification to a European standard, but testing and auditing by the Transport Agency has found them to be 'non-compliant'.

Rushton said: 'This is also a reminder for any business which onsells products to keep a clear paper trail of their sales, so in the unlikely event of a serious product recall, the ability to identify and notify affected consumers and keep them safe is significantly increased.'

Trading Standards administers the recalls.govt.nz site, which lists all products recalled in New Zealand, and shows the country is awash with faulty products.

At any one time there were thousands of products being voluntarily recalled by their companies and brands, usually for small issues that could be easily remedied, Trading Standards said.

'In nearly every case of there being a product fault, the brand owner will do all it can to readily identify the problem, notify it, recall it and offer consumers a refund. It's in their best interest for brand recognition to do it. However often there is a challenge in identifying, and directly contacting all the customers who may have bought the product. This can be especially harder if the sales records are not clear or retained,' Rushton said.

The NZ Transport Agency had instructed vehicle inspectors to fail a vehicle for its WoF or Certificate of Fitness inspection if these seatbelts imported by BVL were identified in a vehicle.

The label to identify the unsafe seatbelts is attached to the belts themselves.

The Transport Agency's regulatory general manager, Kane Patena, said: 'While the Transport Agency is not currently aware of any failures involving BVL imported seatbelts in New Zealand or overseas, the independent testing of the seatbelts we commissioned indicated that although the belts are labelled as compliant with a European regulation, they are not compliant and do not meet minimum strength requirements.'

'Checking the labels for yourself only takes a few moments and could help keep you and your passengers safe,' she said.

Trading Standards said it would be assessing the recall progress with BVL.