Investigations
WHEEL FAILURE
NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE07048 - closed, opened 2007-09-21.
NHTSA investigation PE07048 is a Preliminary Evaluation opened on 2007-09-21 and currently closed. The subject is tracked inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2008-01-23 - 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 PE07048 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: "SINCE PE07-048 WAS OPENED, ODI HAS RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT THREE ADDITIONAL S-10 WHEEL FAILURES. THESE INCLUDE TWO COMPLAINTS OF FRACTURED RIMS AND ONE COMPLAINT OF A CRACKED RIM. TO DATE, THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT PRO..." 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
SINCE PE07-048 WAS OPENED, ODI HAS RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT THREE ADDITIONAL S-10 WHEEL FAILURES. THESE INCLUDE TWO COMPLAINTS OF FRACTURED RIMS AND ONE COMPLAINT OF A CRACKED RIM. TO DATE, THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT PROVIDED A COMPLETE AND SATISFACTORY RESPONSE TO ODI'S REQUEST FOR INFORMATION RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT OR PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT ANY COMPLAINTS OR CLAIMS THAT WERE NOT ALREADY KNOWN TO ODI. THE MANUFACTURER HAS ADVISED ODI THAT DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUBJECT WHEELS TO RETAILERS WAS SUSPENDED IN OCTOBER 2007. THE PRODUCTION VOLUME GIVEN IN THIS RESUME IS AN ESTIMATE FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND MAY INCLUDE WHEELS CURRENTLY HELD IN THE DISTRIBUTION CHAIN, WHEELS IN RETAILER INVENTORY AND WHEELS THAT WERE SOLD INTO SERVICE. ACTUAL SALES VOLUMES ARE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. WHILE THE MANUFACTURER HAS INDICATED FINDING EVIDENCE OF IMPACT DAMAGE IN SOME WHEELS INVOLVED IN COMPLAINTS OR CLAIMS, NO INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO ODI RELATED TO SUCH CLAIMS OR ANALYSES. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT WHEELS AND TO CONTINUE EFFORTS TO OBTAIN FULL AND COMPLETE RESPONSES TO ODI INFORMATION REQUESTS FROM SEVAS.
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.