Following Transport Agency tests and investigations, NZTA announced seatbelts imported by Business Ventures Limited (BVL) do not meet an approved safety standard.
Seatbelts by BVL manufactured either by Changzhou BWD China or by Jiang Su Jiu Jiu Traffic Facilities Co. Ltd don’t meet the standard and can be identified by a label located on the seatbelt strap.
NZTA advices people to check the labels of their seatbelts, and for drivers who have them not to use their vehicle until replacements are fitted.
Stuff reports just over 1200 faulty seatbelts out of roughly 16,000 seatbelts have been traced.
New Zealand importers were not legally required to keep records of who they sold their goods to, Stuff reports.
If your vehicle is affected NZTA advises you to contact the reseller for advice on getting the seatbelts replaced with a safe alternative.
“In this case, BVL didn’t have an obligation to keep any records, so there is no easy route to trace people,” says Trading Standards safety team leader Martin Rushton.
NZTA says BVL seatbelts are most used into modified vehicles such as vans, buses and motorhomes. Vehicle inspectors have been instructed to fail a vehicle for its Warrant of Fitness (WoF) or Certificate of Fitness (CoF) inspection if these seatbelts are identified in a vehicle.
Trading Standards want to get as many of the seatbelts replaced as quickly as possible.
“We are urgently reminding consumers who own second-hand vehicles or who have had replacement seatbelts fitted, to check their seatbelt labels from these brands,” says Rushton.
