Investigations
AMBULANCE TIRE TREAD SEPARATIONS
NHTSA Defect Petition DP04005 - closed, opened 2004-05-26.
NHTSA investigation DP04005 is a Defect Petition opened on 2004-05-26 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2004-09-28 - 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 DP04005 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 SEPARATIONS IN FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES, PARTICULARLY THOSE USED ON AMBULANCES, ON THE BASIS THAT THESE TIRES CONTAIN DEFECTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH RATES OF TREAD..." 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 SEPARATIONS IN FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES, PARTICULARLY THOSE USED ON AMBULANCES, ON THE BASIS THAT THESE TIRES CONTAIN DEFECTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH RATES OF TREAD SEPARATIONS, AND THAT THESE TREAD SEPARATIONS POSE AN UNREASONABLE SAFETY RISK TO AMBULANCE OPERATORS AND THEIR PATIENTS WHILE DRIVING. THIS PETITION WAS SUBMITTED CONCURRENTLY WITH DP04-004, WHICH APPLIES TO ALL STEELTEX TIRES MANUFACTURED SINCE 1995. 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. ODI DID NOT IDENTIFY SIGNS OF A DEFECT TREND IN STEELTEX TIRES USED ON AMBULANCES. FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF ODI'S 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. PLEASE SEE THE DP04-005 PUBLIC FILE FOR A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS.
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.