Investigations
TIRE PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM FAILURE
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE06010 - closed, opened 2006-02-27.
NHTSA investigation PE06010 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2006-02-27 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2006-08-02 - 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 PE06010 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: "ODI OPENED PE06-010 BASED ON 12 REPORTS OF ALLEGED TIRE PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM (TPWS) FAILURE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. ALL REPORTS ALLEGED THAT THE TPWS WARNING LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION PANEL W..." 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
ODI OPENED PE06-010 BASED ON 12 REPORTS OF ALLEGED TIRE PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM (TPWS) FAILURE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. ALL REPORTS ALLEGED THAT THE TPWS WARNING LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION PANEL WHEN THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW OR THE TIRE WAS FLAT. IN SOME INCIDENTS, THE CONSUMER REPORTED THAT TPWS LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE TIRE PRESSURE IN 1 TIRE WAS AT 15-20 PSI AND THE OTHER TIRES WERE AT OR NEAR THE RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE. DURING PE06-010, ADDITIONAL FAILURE DATA WAS IDENTIFIED AS NOTED IN THE FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY ABOVE. AS OF JULY 25, 2006, ODI WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY ALLEGATIONS WHERE THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED IN A CRASH, AN INJURY, OR A FATALITY IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. IN ADDITION, ODI IS AWARE OF ONLY TWO INCIDENTS WHERE A TIRE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE DURING THE INCIDENT. IN BOTH INCIDENTS, FIRE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE AND TIRE WELL AND/OR SMOKE DAMAGE TO ITEMS IN THE VEHICLE. ODI'S ANALYSIS SHOWED THE FOLLOWING: (1) THE SUBJECT VEHICLES USE AN INDIRECT TPWS SYSTEM WITH P225/60R17 BRIDGESTONE B380 OR DUNLOP SP SPORT 4000 DSST RUN FLAT TIRES (RFTS). (2) THERE IS A LARGE VARIABILITY IN THE PRESSURE AND DRIVING TIME AT WHICH THE TPWS WILL TRIGGER THE TPWS WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. (3) THE TPWS MAY NOT MAKE AN ACCURATE JUDGMENT UNDER A VARIETY OF ROAD OR DRIVING CONDITIONS, INCLUDING IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN OVER 62 MPH, THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, THE TREAD WEAR IS UNEVEN, THE LOADING IS OVER THE LIMIT, OR THE PRESSURE OF 2 OR MORE TIRES DROPS AT THE SAME TIME. (SEE TOYOTA'S APRIL 10, 2006 INFORMATION REQUEST RESPONSE FOR MORE DETAILS.) (4) SOME CONSUMERS REPORTED THAT THEIR TIRE PRESSURE WAS BELOW 15 PSI OR EVEN AS LOW AS 0 PSI BEFORE THEY REALIZED THAT THEY HAD A TIRE PRESSURE ISSUE AND AS A RESULT HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRE. NOTE: TOYOTA STATES THAT IF THE TIRE PRESSURE DROPS TO BELOW 15 PSI, THE TIRE CAN NOT BE REPAIRED. (5) IN APRIL 2006, IN RESPONSE TO REPORT
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.