Investigations
ALLEGED HEADLIGHT FAILURE
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE06017 - closed, opened 2006-05-15.
NHTSA investigation PE06017 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2006-05-15 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2006-10-25 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
A Preliminary Evaluation like PE06017 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: "A TOTAL OF 646,038 SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE SOLD DURING MY 2001-2003, AND THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA TABULATED ABOVE APPLY TO THE TOTAL VEHICLE POPULATION. COMPLAINT REPORTS ALLEGING HEADLIGHT OUTAGE REPRESENT SLIGHTLY..." 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
A TOTAL OF 646,038 SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE SOLD DURING MY 2001-2003, AND THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA TABULATED ABOVE APPLY TO THE TOTAL VEHICLE POPULATION. COMPLAINT REPORTS ALLEGING HEADLIGHT OUTAGE REPRESENT SLIGHTLY MORE THAT ONE-HALF OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AND THE BALANCE ARE ALLEGATIONS OF FLICKERING AND DIMMING. INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION TO BE WEAR OF A CONTACT PLUNGER IN THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH THAT MAY RESULT IN A TEMPORARY OPEN CIRCUIT, WITH THE PLUNGER IN A NEUTRAL POSITION BETWEEN HIGH- AND LOW-BEAM CONTACT POINTS. CONSUMERS CONSISTENTLY REPORTED THAT MANIPULATION OF THE SWITCH HANDLE ON THE STEERING COLUMN RESTORES EITHER HIGH OR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT FUNCTION. NO OTHER POTENTIAL SAFETY RELATED ISSUES, E.G., FIRES OR WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE, WERE FOUND TO BE RELATED TO THIS ISSUE. THE MANUFACTURER RECOGNIZED THE SUBJECT HEADLIGHT ISSUES FROM FAILURE AND WARRANTY REPORTS, AND ISSUED A REDESIGNED PLUNGER IN 2003. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT IDENTIFY A DEFECT REQUIRING RECALL AND REMEDY. ODI HAS DETERMINED THAT THE RATES OF OCCURRENCE, THE FAILURE MODE AND THE REAL-WORLD CONSEQUENCE OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT AS COMPARED TO OTHER SIMILAR INVESTIGATIONS FAIL TO IDENTIFY A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND. THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY MAY 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.