Investigations
TIRE FAILURE
NHTSA Defect Petition DP02011 - closed, opened 2002-11-26.
NHTSA investigation DP02011 is a Defect Petition opened on 2002-11-26 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2003-06-16 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Defect Petition like DP02011 starts when a person or group formally asks NHTSA to investigate a specific alleged defect. Petitioners submit evidence, NHTSA reviews it within 120 days, and either grants the petition (opening a PE) or denies it with a written explanation in the Federal Register.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "ODI WAS PETITIONED TO REOPEN ITS INVESTIGATION OF TREAD SEPARATION IN FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES (PE00-040) ON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS CLOSED PREMATURELY; THAT EVIDENCE STRONGLY INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF A DEFECT TREND; AND..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time.
Investigation Summary
ODI WAS PETITIONED TO REOPEN ITS INVESTIGATION OF TREAD SEPARATION IN FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES (PE00-040) ON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS CLOSED PREMATURELY; THAT EVIDENCE STRONGLY INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF A DEFECT TREND; AND THAT ALL STEELTEX TIRES CONTAIN A DEFECT THAT COULD LEAD TO TREAD SEPARATION WHILE DRIVING. ODI¿S ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT IT IS UNLIKELY THAT NHTSA WOULD ISSUE AN ORDER FOR THE NOTIFICATION AND REMEDY OF A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT STEELTEX TIRES AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE INVESTIGATION REQUESTED IN THE PETITION. THE STATISTICS CONCERNING THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE TIRES HAVE CHANGED LITTLE SINCE THE CLOSING OF PE00-040 AND NO SPECIFIC DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED. FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF ODI RESOURCES ON THIS MATTER IS NOT JUSTIFIED AT THIS TIME. ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE TIRES FOR ANY SIGNS THAT A DEFECT TREND MAY BE DEVELOPING.
About This Investigation Type
A Defect Petition (DP) is initiated when an individual or organization formally petitions NHTSA to investigate a potential safety defect. NHTSA reviews the petition and decides whether to open an investigation.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.