Investigations
DRIVER SEAT PEDESTAL FAILURES
NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA04015 - closed, opened 2004-06-22.
NHTSA investigation EA04015 is a Engineering Analysis opened on 2004-06-22 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2004-10-19 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
An Engineering Analysis like EA04015 is the deeper technical phase that follows a PE. NHTSA requests design, warranty, and field-failure data from the manufacturer, conducts its own testing when needed, and determines whether the evidence supports a safety defect finding that would compel a recall.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "THIS EA WAS OPENED BASED A FLEET COMPLAINT CONCERNING DRIVER'S SEAT PEDESTAL FAILURES. TO OBTAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF FIELD PERFORMANCE, ODI, IN CONJUNCTION WITH C.E. WHITE (SEAT PEDESTAL MANUFACTURER) AND IC CORPOR..." 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
THIS EA WAS OPENED BASED A FLEET COMPLAINT CONCERNING DRIVER'S SEAT PEDESTAL FAILURES. TO OBTAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF FIELD PERFORMANCE, ODI, IN CONJUNCTION WITH C.E. WHITE (SEAT PEDESTAL MANUFACTURER) AND IC CORPORATION VISITED THREE OTHER SCHOOL BUS FLEETS IN TWO STATES. DURING THESE VISITS, SEAT PEDESTALS IN EIGHTY-NINE BUSES WERE INSPECTED OVER TWO DAYS. THE BUSES RANGED FROM MODEL YEARS 1992 TO 2001. TWENTY-TWO WERE FE MODELS, TWENTY-TWO WERE CE MODELS AND FORTY-FIVE WERE RE MODELS. THE INSPECTION REVEALED NO CRACKS OR FAILURES ON THE CE AND RE MODELS. ELEVEN (50%) OF THE TWENTY-TWO FE BUSES DISPLAYED CRACKS OR HAD BEEN REPAIRED. BASED ON THIS INSPECTION AND THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE ORIGINAL COMPLAINING FLEET, IC CORPORATION IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL OF 8,241 FE (FRONT ENGINE) BUSES, MODEL YEARS 1992 THROUGH 2004. ODI BELIEVES THIS ACTION IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THEREFORE, THIS EA IS CLOSED. A COPY OF THE RECALL IS ATTACHED.
About This Investigation Type
An Engineering Analysis (EA) is the in-depth phase following a Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA engineers conduct testing, collect data from manufacturers, and perform detailed technical analysis to determine whether a safety defect exists. An EA may lead to a voluntary recall by the manufacturer or, in rare cases, a mandatory recall order.
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.