Safety Advocates Say Fatal Car Seat Failures are 'public Health Crisis'

THIEVES ALSO STOLE A BOTTLE OF WISTY. PAUL: WE LEARN DETAILS ABOUT A POTENTIAL DANGER IN OUR CAR, FROM A FORMER AUTO EXECUTIVE WHO NEVER SPOKE OUT ON TV UNTIL NOW, RANDY PAIGE WITH THE STORY. ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. REPORTER: JULY 30, ON A RURAL HIGHWAY, 49-YEAR-OLD GONZALEZ BURNED TO DEATH IN THIS SUV. THE DOORS ON THE VEHICLE WERE NOT JAMMED, WHY DIDN'T THE MAN GET OUT? SEAT HE WAS IN, HAD FAILED. REPORTER: PAUL SHERATON IS A FORMER CHRYSLER SAFETY MANAGER WHO IS NOW PAID IT PROVIDE EXPERT TESTIMONY IN LAWSUIT FILES AGAIN AUTOMAKERS. REPORTER: SEAT BACK COLLAPSE CAUSED HIS PARALYSIS, AND HE COULD NOT ESCAPE. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY MORE HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE THAN BURNING TO DEATH, IN MY OPINION HE WAS PROBABLY FULLY CONSCIOUS WHEN HE DIED. REPORTER: THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE A GROWING NUMBER OF HORRIFIC ACCIDENTS, THAT HAVE SURFACED THROUGH LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST AUTOMAKERS INVOLVING COLLAPSING SEATS, EACH OF THESE VICTIMS MANY CHILDREN, WERE EITHER KILLED EPARALYZED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. WATCH THE HEADS OF THE DUMMIES. REPORTER: PAUL WAS FIRST AWARE OF THE DANGER OF COLLAPSES SEATS WHEN 60 MINUTE BROKE THE STORY IN 1992, THAT IS WHEN SHERATON WAS IN CHARGE OF CHRYSLER MINIVAN SAFETY TEAM, NOW, HE REVEALS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN HE CALLED ON HIS TEAM TO CONDUCT AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. I WAS TOLD TO RETRIEVE AND DESTROY THE MEETING MINUTES, THEN HE SAID HE WAS FIRED. THEY DISMANTLED MY SAFETY TEAM AND SAID OUR MISSION HAD BEEN FULFILLED, THAT IS ON ITS FACE IT LUDICROUS. HE SAID THIS DOCUMENT MADE PUBLIC IN A CIVIL TRIAL SHOWS CHRYSLER, AND NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTRATION TRIED TO COVER IT UP BY REFUSING TO RELEASE THIS CRASH TEST VIDEO TO PUBLIC. IT WAS VIDEOTAPED DEMONSTRATED THAT THE SEAT WOULD FAIL IN MINOR REAR END CLIGDZS COLLISIONS LEADING TO INJURY AND DEATH. REPORTER: FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STAN SWORD 207. YOU CAN BUY A LAWN CHAIR AT A RETAILER, AND APPLY THE 20 SEARCH SEAT STANDARD IT WILL PASS. THAT STANDARD HAS NEVER BEEN UNDATED. AND ONLY THING THAT CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, IS HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED. THAT NUMBER KEEPS CLIMBING. REPORTER: CLARENCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CENTER OR AUTO SAFETY, SAID THIS NHTSA IS NOT KEEPING TRACK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE KILLED OR INJURED WHEN SEATS COLLAPSED, HE DID HIS OWN INVESTIGATES HE FOUND 64 CASES OF DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY, EACH YEAR AS MANY AS 50 CHILDREN DIE IN THE BACKSEAT WHEN THE FRONT SEAT COLLAPSES IN FRONT OF THEM, FAR MORE THAN PEOPLE KILLED IN THIS YEAR'S MASSIVE AIRBAG RECALL THAT MADE WORLDWIDE HEADLINES. THERE SAY HUGE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. BECAUSE WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO KILL 50 CHILDREN EVERY YEAR IN REAR SEATS OF CARS. THIS IS A CRITICAL ISSUE. REPORTER: JOAN IS A FORMER NHTSA ADMINISTRATOR. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE, THAT AUTO MANUFACTURERS MAKE CARS WITH SEAT BACKS TO FAIL, AND KILL AND INJURY THEIR CUSTOMERS AND NITZE ANDNHTSA WOULD ALLOW THAT, THATS CRIMINAL. REPORTER: AUTOMAKER RESPOND BY SAYING THEIR SEATS EXCEED ALL FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS. THAT IS SUCH AN OUT RAPOUS -- OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT. IF LAWN CHAIRS CAN PASS, AND THEY CAN, THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED. REPORTER: THEY ARE CALLING ON NITZE ON TO IMPOSE A NEW RULE, TO SUBPOENA AUTOMAKERS FOR ALL DATA INVOLVING LAWSUIT, DEATHS AND INJURIES RELATED TO COLLAPSING SEATS. NONE SHOULD FAIL. IF THEY HAVE ONE THAT FAILS, THEY HAVE FAILED THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. REPORTER: NHTSA RESPONDED TO THIS STORY, WITH SAME WRITTEN STATEMENT THEY GAVE US WHEN HE FIRST REPORTED A FEW MONTHS AGO. IT SAYS, IN PART, REAR IMPACT CRASHES ACCOUNT FOR 3% OF ALL TRAFFIC FATALITIES NHTSA CONCLUDED THAT IS TOO SMALL OF A PERCENTAGE TO WA WARRANT A RULE CHANGE. THAT IS LUDICROUS. TOO MANY CHILDREN, TOO MANY PARENTS HAVE BEEN KILLED OR PARALYZED IN SEAT BACK COLLAPSE CASES NHTSA FAILED THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. A FAIL HURRY HE SAID, THAT IS COSTING LIVES. EXPERT TELLS THAT YOU CAR SEATS ARE STRONGER NOW THAN THEY USED TO BE, THEY SAY STRONGEST SEATS ARE IN MERCEDES, AND BMW 'S. PAUL: TO PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN