Australian Child Restraint Resource Initiative (ACRI) November 2011 Bulletin
It’s not ‘Good’!…… It’s definitely not ‘Great’!
In fact, it’s extremely POOR!
WARNING: DO NOT USE THE ANCHORAGE LOCATIONS THAT APPEAR TO BE
PROVIDED.
The ‘Great Wall V240’ Dual Cab utility has a potential risk to all child restraint service professionals.
A foreseeable misuse issue arises with the way that the vehicle is presented to the public. Behind the usual ‘seat back’ (the most common place a restraint installer will look for the anchorage locations) we find three cutaway trim access holes and pressed steel connecting points available to use, it seems:
The problem:
If you venture into the VOH (Vehicle Owners handbook) you may find a warning note, not to use these for child restraints. This is the only warning they have provided!
(ACRI has a positive resolution at least to a similar issue with the Mercedes Benz Vito.)
When we discussed this with the ‘Ateco’ (Great Wall distributor) representative the responses were:
1. “This type of vehicle does not need to supply CR anchorage locations.”
2. “These holes are for vehicle production purposes only.”
3. “We can’t be responsible for how a person uses their motor vehicle”
From our perspective these are all extremely poor responses.
‘Great Wall’ has created a potentially litigious situation for restraint service providers with this vehicle. This one’s a lesson to us all. Just because it LOOKS like a child restraint anchorage doesn’t mean it’s meant to be used as one. If you come across a car you haven’t seen before, make sure you check the owner’s handbook before proceeding with the installation. Extra caution may be necessary with vehicles new to the Australian marketplace.