Investigations
Interior Door Handle Laceration Risk
NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA10004 - closed, opened 2010-05-23.
NHTSA investigation EA10004 is a Engineering Analysis opened on 2010-05-23 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2011-07-18 - 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 EA10004 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: "The investigated concern involved chrome plating on interior door handles that could peel or separate from the plastic base material. This de-lamination could result in a sharp edge and pose a risk of laceration. In some..." 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
The investigated concern involved chrome plating on interior door handles that could peel or separate from the plastic base material. This de-lamination could result in a sharp edge and pose a risk of laceration. In some cases, consumers reported minor hand/skin lacerations. Of these reported injuries, the vast majority of injuries were to adults. Ninety percent of claims associated with interior door handle de-lamination were related to the front doors. In addition to the above Tahoe/Yukon vehicles, other GMT 900 series C/K vehicles (Avalanche, Escalade, Sierra, Silverado, and Suburban) have a trim level that utilizes the chrome plated interior door handles and were included in the analysis. The resultant population group had a total of 746 complaint reports with 309 injury incidents and 43,619 unique VIN regular warranty claims over a combined 451,745 vehicle population. The door handle supplier was changed in September 2006 with new tooling and process in place by October 2006. The base population prior to the September 2006 vendor change accounted for the bulk (or 89%) of all complaints and comparable injury reports and warranty claims. Due to the nature of the failure (thin chrome plating peeling off the door handle), only minor hand/skin laceration injuries similar to a "paper cut" were recorded. All but a few did not require professional medical treatment such as surgical or liquid sutures (i.e. stitches). Less than 10% of injury reports had specifically involved a 3-10 year old child. This was due to the fact that 90% of the claims were associated with door handles located in the front seating area (where the window glass panels usually have less solar tinting than rear window glass panels) where children are not normally seated. In July 2010, GM issued a Special Coverage Policy (SCP 09239) on the base vehicles to extend the warranty coverage to 10 years/100k miles. Recent data indicate that the base population complaint and injury reporting have subsided si
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.