Investigations
LOSS OF BRAKE LAMP ILLUMINATION
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE07001 - closed, opened 2007-01-17.
NHTSA investigation PE07001 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2007-01-17 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2007-04-30 - 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 PE07001 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 AGENCY'S ANALYSIS OF GM'S COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, INCLUDING A COMPARISON WITH OTHER AGENCY AND MANUFACTURER DATA PERTAINING TO OTHER VEHICLE BRAKE LAMP INVESTIGATIONS, INDICATED A LOW FA..." 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 AGENCY'S ANALYSIS OF GM'S COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, INCLUDING A COMPARISON WITH OTHER AGENCY AND MANUFACTURER DATA PERTAINING TO OTHER VEHICLE BRAKE LAMP INVESTIGATIONS, INDICATED A LOW FAILURE HISTORY FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THIS INVESTIGATION INCLUDED A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF DATA FOR RELEVANT BRAKE LAMP MALFUNCTIONS THAT REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH (MFS) MODULE. THE HAZARD WARNING SWITCH IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE MFS MODULE. OTHER COMPONENTS THAT AFFECT BRAKE LAMP ILLUMINATION SUCH AS WIRING, BULB SOCKETS, AND THE PLUNGER-TYPE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH, WERE NOT A PART OF THIS INVESTIGATION. A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AND THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY 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.