Investigations
BRAKE FAILURE
NHTSA Engineering Analysis EA86033 - closed, opened 1986-09-30.
NHTSA investigation EA86033 is a Engineering Analysis opened on 1986-09-30 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 1987-08-25 - 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 EA86033 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: "SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: GM MAINTAINS THAT THERE IS NO DEFECT IN THE DESIGN. SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP DOES NOT CHANGE WITH APPLICATION OF PEDAL FORCE. GM BELIEVES THAT THEIR TEST DATA DEMONSTRATES THAT PEDAL..." 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
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: GM MAINTAINS THAT THERE IS NO DEFECT IN THE DESIGN. SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP DOES NOT CHANGE WITH APPLICATION OF PEDAL FORCE. GM BELIEVES THAT THEIR TEST DATA DEMONSTRATES THAT PEDAL, BRACKET, AND FIREWALL ARE SUFFICIENTLY STOUT. GM REPORTSNO FIELD COMPLAINTS ON THIS ALLEGED DEFECT. ANALYSIS: THIS ALLEGED DEFECT WAS REPORTED IN A BENDIX TRADE PUBLICATION. IT CITED FIREWALL FLEXING AS REDUCING THE PEDAL FREE PLAY AND PREVENTINGTHE MASTER CYLINDER FROM COMPENSATING NORMALLY. STATUS: ON DEC 11,1986, A MEMO WAS SENT TO VRTC REQUESTING TESTING ON A VEHICLE IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE ALLEGED DEFECT. VRTC HAS PURCHASED A TEST VEHICLE AND TESTING HAS BEEN COMPLETED. DRAFT REPORT IN REVIEW CYCLE. PROPOSED ACTION: CLOSED AUG 25,1987===
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.