SUV, Child Seats Target of Safety Probes

Federal safety officials said they are investigating nine complaints of fires starting in the air venting system of 1992-94 Explorers, Ford Motor Co.’s top-selling sport-utility vehicle. No injuries were reported. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in its latest vehicle defect report, also said it has upgraded a probe into broken harness buckles on the Breverra Booster Seat made by Century Products Co. Century, a unit of Rubbermaid Inc., told NHTSA it has received 92 complaints of broken buckles and seven other reports of buckles accidentally releasing on the car booster seats. No injuries were reported, but more than 920,000 child seats sold for model years 1996-97 could be affected, NHTSA said. Century officials were not immediately available for comment. The agency also said it initiated investigations into Ford’s new 1998 Lincoln Town Car, the 1995 Ford Contour small sedan and General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet Caprice police cruiser following consumer complaints. A Ford spokeswoman said the auto maker is aware of the investigation and is cooperating. GM did not return phone calls.