Investigations
Fuel Tank Strap Failure Due to Corrosion
NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA11006 - closed, opened 2011-05-04.
NHTSA investigation EA11006 is a Engineering Analysis opened on 2011-05-04 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2011-08-19 - 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 EA11006 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: "One or both of the steel straps holding up the fuel tank and attaching it to the truck frame can corrode and fail (break or separate). If one strap fails, the tank may tilt and drop and possibly contact the road surface...." 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
One or both of the steel straps holding up the fuel tank and attaching it to the truck frame can corrode and fail (break or separate). If one strap fails, the tank may tilt and drop and possibly contact the road surface. If both straps break, the entire tank may drop to the road. If either failure occurs while the vehicle is being driven, contact with the road can abrade the tank and create a hole from which gasoline can spill. When the tank drops, it remains attached to the vehicle only by the fuel filler hose and/or supply lines, or in rare instances, by the skid plate, if present. In some cases the weight of the tank sufficiently strained the hoses and fittings and caused separation and subsequent fuel leaks from those connections. The fire hazard created by leaking gasoline is increased by the possible presence of sparks created by the metal tank being dragged along the road. Corrosion of the straps appears to be caused by prolonged exposure to road deicers, frequently road salt, used to treat snow or ice covered roads. States in which large quantities of deicers are applied to roads during the winter season ("salt belt states") account for the predominant portion of strap failures. Vehicles in these salt belt states are prone to experience corrosion related failures more frequently and earlier in a vehicle’s life cycle. Ford reports approximately 97 percent of reports it received relating to strap failure involve vehicles that were operated in these high corrosion areas, and 95 percent of the reports to NHTSA involved such vehicles. Approximately one-third of F-150 U.S. production was sold in salt belt states. ODI has included in the above counts reports it has received from consumers and reports it has received from Ford in which either the complaint involved confirmed strap corrosion or ODI's assessment of available information suggests corrosion caused the reported problem. Among the incidents reported to NHTSA, 441 involved one or both straps failing due to
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.