Investigations
OVERHEATED FUEL PUMP WIRING
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE04042 - closed, opened 2004-05-03.
NHTSA investigation PE04042 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2004-05-03 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2004-09-09 - 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 PE04042 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 FUEL PUMP WIRING AND CONNECTOR MAY OVERHEAT AND MELT A HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP MODULE. POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES INCLUDE FUEL TANK LEAKAGE AND ENGINE STALL WITH NO RESTART. FOURTEEN OF THE 20 COMPLAINTS TO ODI A..." 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 FUEL PUMP WIRING AND CONNECTOR MAY OVERHEAT AND MELT A HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP MODULE. POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES INCLUDE FUEL TANK LEAKAGE AND ENGINE STALL WITH NO RESTART. FOURTEEN OF THE 20 COMPLAINTS TO ODI ALLEGE FUEL TANK LEAKAGE, INCLUDING ONE THAT REPORTED THAT A FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AFTER A "POOL" OF GASOLINE WAS DISCOVERED BENEATH THE VEHICLE. MOST OF THE ODI COMPLAINTS REPORT INCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED WITHIN THE PAST YEAR. ACCORDING TO GM, FUEL LEAKAGE CAN OCCUR IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES IF THE HEAT IS SUFFICIENT TO MELT A HOLE IN THE PLASTIC CONNECTOR LARGE ENOUGH FOR LIQUID FUEL TO FLOW THROUGH. ON-BOARD EMISSIONS DIAGNOSTICS MAY DETECT HOLES THAT ARE APPROXIMATELY 0.040 INCHES OR MORE AND SET A SERVICE ENGINE SOON WARNING LIGHT. THE CONNECTOR POSITION IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES IS BELOW THE FUEL LEVEL WHEN THE TANK IS FULL. WHILE GM DOES NOT KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL COULD LEAK FROM A TANK WITH A MELTED FUEL PUMP CONNECTOR, SEVERAL CONSUMERS HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT LEAK EVENTS. ENGINE STALL CAN OCCUR IF: (1) A SHORT OCCURS IN THE PUMP WIRING (BARE WIRE EXPOSED BY MELTED INSULATION SHORTS AGAINST A GROUND OR GROUND WIRE) AND THE FUEL PUMP RELAY FUSE IS BLOWN; OR (2) THE VEHICLE RUNS OUT OF FUEL DUE TO AN INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READING RESULTING FROM AN ELECTRICAL SHORT BETWEEN THE FUEL PUMP WIRING AND THE LEVEL SENSOR WIRING. GM'S ANALYSIS OF FIVE ASSEMBLIES RETURNED FROM INCIDENT VEHICLES DETERMINED THAT "THE CONDITION IS CAUSED BY ELEVATED RESISTANCE/ ARCING AT THE MRA UNDERCOVER B CAVITY TERMINAL OF THE FOUR-WAY 150 METRI-PAK CONNECTOR." GM ATTRIBUTES THE HIGH RESISTANCE AND ARCING TO "A DEPRESSED CONTACT ARM AT THE 150 METRI-PAK B CAVITY FEMALE TERMINAL." GM IS CONTINUING ITS INVESTIGATION TO COMPLETE ITS ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS. MODULAR RESERVOIR ASSEMBLIES USING THE 150 METRI-PAK CONNECTORS WERE USED BY GM IN SEVERAL MILLION C/K-SERIES SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUP TRUCKS FROM MY 1997 THROUGH 2002, WHEN GM RELEASED A METAL MRA COVER
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.