Investigations
ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATS/BURNS
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE05005 - closed, opened 2005-02-02.
NHTSA investigation PE05005 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2005-02-02 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2005-06-29 - 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 PE05005 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: "THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON THREE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATING IN MY 2003 MERCEDES BENZ ML-320 VEHICLES. CONSUMERS ALLEGED THAT SUCH FAILURES MAY INFLICT BURN INJURIES TO SEAT OCCUPA..." 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
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON THREE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATING IN MY 2003 MERCEDES BENZ ML-320 VEHICLES. CONSUMERS ALLEGED THAT SUCH FAILURES MAY INFLICT BURN INJURIES TO SEAT OCCUPANTS. INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE IDENTICAL SEAT WARMER DESIGN WAS INSTALLED IN 65.5 PERCENT OF ALL M-CLASS VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING MY 2000-2005. THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED FROM BREAKAGE OF THE ELECTRICAL BUS WIRE OF THE HEATER GRID IN THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE SEAT BOLSTER. THE FAILURES WERE CAUSED BY REPEATED HIGH STRESS APPLIED DURING OCCUPANT INGRESS AND EGRESS. A SIMILAR FAILURE MODE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED IN INVESTIGATIONS OF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IN OTHER VEHICLES. THE RATES OF COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, AS WELL AS FOR OTHER M-CLASS VEHICLES WITH THE SAME SEAT WARMER DESIGN, WERE IN SOME CASES HIGHER, BUT ON THE SAME ORDER OF MAGNITUDE AS THE RATES SEEN IN OTHER VEHICLES INVESTIGATED. THE INFORMATION DISCLOSED THAT SEAT CUSHION DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO SMALL, LOCALIZED AREAS AND THAT NO RISK OF FIRE EXISTED. THE INJURIES REPORTED WERE CONSISTENTLY VERY MINOR IN SEVERITY AND AT RATES COMPARABLE TO THOSE SEEN ON OTHER INVESTIGATIONS. ODI CONCLUDED THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND WAS NOT IDENTIFIED IN THIS MATTER AT THIS TIME. ACCORDINGLY, THIS PE HAS BEEN CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
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.