Investigations
PROPANE VEHICLE CONVERSION
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE00029 - closed, opened 2000-07-21.
NHTSA investigation PE00029 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2000-07-21 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2001-01-05 - 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 Preliminary Evaluation like PE00029 is the entry point of the federal defect-investigation process. NHTSA engineers scan complaint databases, field reports, and manufacturer data to decide whether an Engineering Analysis is warranted, whether a voluntary recall is already sufficient, or whether the pattern does not rise to a defect finding.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "THE SECOND-STAGE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER, DURING THE CONVERSION PROCESS, INSTALLS THE PROPANE FUEL TANK ON THE LEFT-OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CARGO BED IN AN EXPOSED POSITION. THIS LOCATION APPEARS TO BE CONTRARY TO THE..." 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 SECOND-STAGE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER, DURING THE CONVERSION PROCESS, INSTALLS THE PROPANE FUEL TANK ON THE LEFT-OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CARGO BED IN AN EXPOSED POSITION. THIS LOCATION APPEARS TO BE CONTRARY TO THE NFPA #152 GUIDELINES AND FORD'S BODY BUILDER LAYOUT BOOK - "ALTERNATIVE FUELS GUIDELINES." IN A SIDE-SWIPE TYPE OF COLLISION, BETWEEN ONE OF THE SUBJECT CONVERSIONS AND A 1988 INTERNATION TRUCK, THE PROPANE TANK WAS IMPACTED AND THE PROPANE WAS RELEASED. THE RELEASED PROPANE REPORTEDLY IGNITED IMMEDIATELY AFTER IMPACT AND THE DRIVERS OF BOTHE VEHICLES INVOLVED WERE SERIOUSLY BURNED. ONE DRIVER DIED ALMOST INSTANTLY IN THE CAB OF HIS TRUCK AND THE SECOND DIED
About This Investigation Type
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first phase of NHTSA's investigation process. It is opened when the agency identifies a potential safety defect pattern, usually triggered by consumer complaints, manufacturer reports, or field monitoring. During a PE, NHTSA gathers information to determine whether a formal engineering analysis is warranted.
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.